Vow to Protect
by Packersfan12
Summary: In the depths of hell on earth, Bane had vowed to always protect her, and he has. She is his and only his, the only thing that could bring the small amount of light into his personal darkness. Bane/O.C. Set pre-Dark Knight Rises leading up to the movie!
1. Chapter 1

"Hands where I can see them."

Dirty shackled hands rose to touch the equally filthy head. Soldiers filed around the prisoner, pointing guns of every kind in the prisoner's face. Emerald eyes bored into each of the soldiers', who looked everywhere but at the small figure kneeling on the ground. A rope was tied around the slim waist, yanked to make it tight.

"Stand up."

The prisoner rose to their full height, which wasn't far off the ground-a solid 5'5''. The prisoner was already garbed in the prison wear-a mess of light blue rags, a last name printed on the right breast pocket.

Moltisanti.

"You don't have anything to say? No pleas to try to make us change our minds?" The man who tied the rope asked, "Every man does."

The figure looked this last man in the eye and smiled, "I'm no man."

The soldiers hoisted Hooks Moltisanti to her feet and started dragging her towards the pit. She cleared her throat and said, "I can to it myself." With her head held high and a smile on her face, she stepped up onto the ledge, turned to face them, spread her arms out wide, and fell backwards.

The rope stopped her fall thirty feet off the ground, tightening from her weight, cutting into her ribs. The skin under the rope tore open, hot sticky blood started to drip down her back as a prisoner below started lowering her to the ground.

Hooks eyed the prison as she was gently hauled to the floor. It wasn't much really, besides a huge mass of concrete, metal bars, and stairs that seemed to go on forever. A handful of men watched her descent from the sky in curiosity. The thing that piqued her attention was that there were no women in the facility.

That totally figured.

The prisoner hauling her down swung her feet so they could touch the ground, before untying the rope restraining her. She breathed a sigh of relief when he cut the rope loose from around her.

"What do I do about these?" she asked, holding out her hands to show him the shackles.

A key landed next to her, thrown from above. She bent down to retrieve it and said, "Guess that's the answer." She handed the key to the man and held out her arms. He stared at her blankly before realizing she wanted the shackles off.

They fell to the floor with a loud clash that reverberated through the prison. Her skin was raw and crusted with blood where the shackles used to sit. She knew her wrists would be sore for a while.

Hooks turned to face the men staring at her in curiosity. She didn't really know what to do. Was she supposed to introduce herself? Not introduce herself? Would it be rude not to?

"Hi," she said slowly, her voice small in the cavernous prison, "name's Beck, but you can call me Hooks." She said, using the name the soldiers had deemed her. 'For her fabulous right hooks'.

They continued to stare at her until she decided that it was uncomfortable and walked off the metal platform. The men parted for her as she walked through them, her head held high. She didn't really know where she was heading until she came upon a staircase. Hooks sighed deciding that the only way to go was up.

She felt the prisoners' eyes on her as she ascended the staircase. At the top sat more men, exhausted, soulless. There was no light in the eyes that appraised her. Hooks glided by them looking silently inside each cell until she found one that wasn't occupied. She called to the men sitting at the top of the staircase, "Is this taken?"

They only stared at her stonily, making her wonder if there were drugs down here getting everyone high. That's the only thing anyone down here could do was stare blankly.

"Yes, it is."

Hooks jumped at the voice that came from behind her, startling her. She turned to give them a piece of her mind, but decided it probably wasn't a good idea. The man towered over her by at least a foot and a half, dwarfing her with his bulky frame. His face was covered with a hood, only hard blue-green eyes were what consisted of the giant.

"I'm assuming by you?" she said, thanking the heavens her voice sounded confident.

"Your assumption is correct." The giant said, "But there's a cell right here," he slapped the bars of the cell next to his, "that just became vacant about an hour ago."

"What happened to him?"

"He had an unfortunate accident that broke his neck."

Hooks didn't say anything after that, only watched as the giant ducked through the bars of his cage, slamming them shut. He peered at her through them and said, "I'd get in and lock up if I were you. Something about the night gets these guys excited."

"Right." She said, slipping into the cell. She looked over and saw him lie down on his cot with a sigh, "Hard day?"

He looked over at her and said, "Long day."

"What do you guys do around here?" she asked.

She heard him chuckle, "We climb."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm beginning to think I should have given you a cell somewhere else."

"Then why didn't you?"

He was silent for a long time. Hooks was beginning to think he fell asleep on her when she heard his voice, quiet this time, "What is your name?"

"Beck, but call me Hooks." She said.

"Why are you here, Hooks?"

"I killed some rich guy's son." Hooks said, "What they failed to notice was that he tried to kill me too. So I ran, I figured I was smart enough to get away, and I did. But then for some reason, I wanted to kill somebody else. So I did." She paused, "I've killed eleven people now, and they all deserved it. But the problem is that they're rich and famous, with plenty of alibis surrounding them. I guess I just didn't care."

"You should have," the giant said, "this place is hell on earth."

"So I've heard." She said, "What's your name then?"

"You can call me Bane."

"So what happened to this guy? The one that used to be in my cell?"

"I told you he had an accident."

"Did it involve _you _breaking his neck?"

"Maybe."

"So I probably shouldn't get you mad."

"Probably not."

They both fell into silence, their breathing the only thing audible. Sometime she must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew men were running everywhere screaming and shouting. On the floor below, fights were breaking out; men were beating each other like animals.

"Hey there doll face." Someone slammed up against the bars to her cell, "I can show you a good time, just open up your cell. I won't hurt you." The sick maniacal look on his face told her different.

More men started beating on the bars to her cell, demanding entrance. She was described in clear detail what they wanted with her. She slid against the bars separating her cell with Bane's, feeling tears sting her eyes. She hastily swiped at them, not wanting to show any weakness. After all, she hadn't wept in over eight years.

A hand touched her shoulder, causing her to jump and scream. She threw herself away from the bars, turning to face Bane. He had both his hands held up, "It's okay, I promise."

He had his hood off, revealing his whole face. It wasn't the face she had expected. She had expected a rough ugly face, an old face. But his was young and handsome, it wasn't a face that belonged in hell on earth, and something about it made her calm. He reached through the bars and took hold of her hand, "They can't get through." He said gently, "If they do, they'll have to deal with me."

His words made her relax a little, and she rested her back on the bars again. Her hand was still clasped in his when she fell asleep, and when she woke the next morning.

_** So that's the first chapter of my story, I hope it was decent. This is the first ever Batman story I've attempted, so try to be gentle with your reviews! I'm horrible with criticism. I went to The Dark Knight Rises the day it came out, fully intending to love Bruce Wayne like always, but left totally head over heels for Bane. Tom Hardy did a magnificent job portraying his character! Anyone who says different is crazy! Anyway, read, review, do what you want! Hopefully you'll give me more inspiration to write another chapter! :D**_


	2. Chapter 2

When Bane woke the next morning, he was slumped up against the bars of his cell, hand lying on the cement floor behind him. He arched an eyebrow, vaguely wondering why he was in this position and not on his cot, when the night's events entered his thoughts. The girl had been in trouble, vulnerable, and for some unseen reason, he had felt the need to protect her. He frowned at this, at the new feeling. Never in his life had he wanted to protect anyone.

He twisted around to look into her cell, and found that she was against his back, her hand tightly clenched in his. Bane wrenched his hand away, making her jump and look around in sleep-heightened shock, "Wha-what's going on?" she asked sleepily.

Bane didn't say anything as he unlocked his cell and walked outside to stretch. He quickly retrieved his hood and wrapped it around his face, walking over to Hooks' cell, "You can come out now."

"You crazy?" she asked, "I'm never coming out of this thing!"

Bane shrugged, "Fine with me." He turned to leave, but the girl called to him, "Yes?" he asked, turning just enough for her to see half his concealed face.

She looked at him with large green eyes, "If I come out, can I…you know…hang with you? Or will I cramp your style?"

He arched an eyebrow, but said nothing, only turned to look out over the prison. He heard her feet shuffle across the floor, before the click of the lock and screech of the cell door sliding open. Hooks came up next to him, her face solemn. They stood in silence, neither knowing really what to say. What were you supposed to say to a stranger?

Slowly, quietly at first, the chanting began. _Deh-Shay, de-shay, bah-sah-rah, bah-sah-rah. _

Bane looked down at the man climbing the staircase onto the metal platform a prisoner always stood upon, waiting for the next failed attempt. That prisoner tied a rope around the other's waist, nodding at him for luck.

"What's he doing? Why are they yelling?" Hooks asked.

"You'll see." Bane answered.

The prisoner turned and faced the wall, a visible sigh escaping him. Slowly he reached his hands up, and started the climb. The chanting grew louder as he neared the ledge, louder still when he readied for the jump. He jumped. The whole prison froze. With an anguished cry, the man missed the ledge by a foot.

Bane hadn't realized he was holding his breath until he saw the man fall. Not a single prisoner had escaped yet, that anyone knew of. He wanted nothing more than to know escape was possible, he'd never wished for anything more.

But escape had not come, and he was beginning to think it never would.

Hooks watched the scene with a sad expression, "This is what you meant when you said you climb?"

He nodded.

"Have you ever tried it?"

"No."

"Are you going to?"

"Maybe someday."

Hooks eyed him, "I want to."

"Then go right ahead, but I must warn you, you more than likely won't succeed." Bane said, stepping aside and holding out a hand to usher her forward. She stared at it, chewing her bottom lip, clearly contemplating the idea.

"You know, maybe I won't quite yet." She said after a moment of deliberation, "I don't want to make the guys that have been here for years feel bad. After all, I've been here for a day, and I _am _a girl, that might hurt their ego. Besides, you look like you could use a friend."

Bane snorted, "If you're blind."

"My vision is perfect."

"You're quite confident in yourself, aren't you?" he asked.

"Well, I've managed to get myself locked up in a prison you absolutely can't escape from, and I'm only seventeen. I think I may have some bragging rights." Hooks said.

Bane thought her foolish. But deep down, he knew that she was terrified and guilty for the things she'd done. He'd masked his own feelings when they'd thrown him in the pit. He knew where she was coming from.

"What about your parents? Isn't this hard on them?" he asked.

"They're dead." She said, "Got killed in a car crash. I would have too, but I threw a fit because they were going shopping and I didn't want to. So they told me to stay home and mope about. The last thing I ever told them was that I hated them."

He noted the small tone of sadness that laced her words, "I never knew mine."

"Do you wish you did?"

"Sometimes I do. But now that I'm here," he paused, "I'm glad don't."

"Why?"

"I wouldn't want to have seen the disappointment on their faces when they found out this is where I'd ended up." Bane said.

"Same here." Hooks agreed, then scrunched up her nose, pointing at something, "Ew, that guy just itched his butt."

Bane found himself laughing. He didn't know where it came from, or why it started, but it rang out through the prison in an unfamiliar chorus.

Other prisoners looked to where they were standing to see what all the laughing was about. Some had looks of anger on their faces, others smiled at the unaccustomed sound. Bane didn't care who was watching, he was laughing. Actually laughing. He hadn't laughed in years, much less smiled. And here was this girl he'd only met the night before making those things happen. He was far from liking her, far from calling her a friend, but somehow, in some way, she had made him laugh.

Hooks waited until his fit was over before saying, "I didn't know it was so funny."

Bane just shrugged, shaking his head. A clap of thunder sounded overhead, the sky growing darker. The prisoners scurried from the opening of the pit just in time to miss the sudden downpour of rain. A white streak of lightening lit up the entrance to the pit, striking ominousity in their hearts.

Hooks shivered and backed away from the rail they leaned on.

"What, afraid of storms?" Bane asked.

"You have no idea." She said quietly. He saw the shear look of terror cross her features and realized she was genuinely afraid. A loud crack of thunder boomed outside, shaking the walls of the prison. She gasped, covering her head as dust rained down from above.

"Relax, the only thing you need to worry about is a flood." Bane said, awkwardly patting her shoulder.

Hooks' gaze was fixed on the opening of the pit, watching the sheets of rain as they pattered against the walls and floor. A steady wind howled through the prison, chilling even Bane's bones. "It must be a violent storm." He said.

"Great." Hooks muttered, shivering again.

"Are you cold?" he asked. She nodded reluctantly, and he found himself fetching one of the two blankets on his cot. He returned to her, draping it around her shoulders, "It's nothing much, but it keeps out the chill."

She smiled lighting up her features, "Thank you."

No one had ever told him thank you before. An odd feeling rose in his chest, but he couldn't place it. Was it gratitude? Gratitude that she had thanked him? He frowned, but didn't dwell on it.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, taking her in for the first time. She was staring up at the sky, her emerald eyes watching the storm with awe. Her deep chocolate hair was constantly rustled in the breeze, lips parted slightly, hands clutching the worn blanket around her small shoulders. The clothes she wore were baggy and oversized, obviously meant for a man, but she managed to make them look graceful, her natural curves visible through the thin fabric. His eyes lingered only for a second on her breasts before he looked away. He would not think of her in that way, in the way the rest of the prisoners would. He was not an animal as they were, and he would never let himself become one.

Lightning flashed across the sky, lighting up the prison. He watched her face, her reaction, with curiosity. Something moved behind her, snapping him out of his thoughts in time to see her getting drug back by the hair by a dirty black haired man. He was laughing maniacally, telling other prisoners behind him to hold Hooks down. She was fighting back, but was obviously caught off guard and defenseless at being attacked from behind.

Bane went into attack mode the moment he saw the figure snatch her. He grabbed one man holding her arms back, by the throat and threw him, screaming, over the rail. He grabbed another man by the collar of his shirt and threw him up alongside the bars of his cell, savagely punching him in the face, feeling his nose crack underneath his knuckles. He felt someone strike a blow to his back. Turning he caught the man's fist as he went in for a second blow, and squeezed. The man dropped to his knees screaming, his other hand clenched tightly around Bane's wrist. The man took a knee to the face, before dropping unconscious to the ground. The prisoner holding Hooks looked at Bane with horror. He dropped Hooks and began to run, pounding down the stairs. But Bane had long ago discovered the trick in hopping from one floor to the other. He swung over the rail and gracefully landed in front of the prisoner, who gasped and tried to turn the other way. Bane caught him by the throat and squeezed, watching the life drain from his eyes. He dropped his lifeless body to the floor and headed to where Hooks lay slumped against the bars of his cell.

"Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling next to her.

She didn't say anything at first, only stared at the two fallen prisoners with eyes filled with fear. Finally she looked at him and said, "That was badass."

She stood, opening her cell, "I think I'm calling it a night."

Bane hadn't even noticed how much time had passed. It was already night, and he hadn't even known.

"Would you like my cot?" he asked.

"Are _you_ going to be in the cot?"

He arched his eyebrows, "No."

"Fine." She joked, "But yes, I would like your cot."

"Only for tonight." He said.

"Yes sir!"

_**Oh my lanta, you guys! I didn't expect that many positive reviews! ***__**Sniff**__*** you've all made me so intensely happy that I just had to write another chapter! This story is getting me all excited! So I went out and bought this totally awesome Bane action figure from Wal-Mart today for sixteen bucks, and let me tell you I was extremely excited! I also got the poster of Batman's mask laying on the ground broken and such with Bane walking away in the rain, and every time I walk into my room, I feel cool. :D So anyhoo, I just wanted to say, that in the beginning of my story, Bane isn't going to be all terrible and bad guy-ish. He's going to be pretty normal, trying to figure things out, like why he's feeling what he is. So don't think this is going to be like the whole story. No. **_**No. **_**Bane will turn bad, just give him time! So read, especially review since I get so much pleasure from them. You've all been so great! **_


	3. Chapter 3

"What happened back there?"

Hooks sat on the edge of Bane's cot, hands folded neatly in her lap. She looked at him with her best look of innocence, "Back where?"

He arched an eyebrow, "When they were attacking you. I thought you killed eleven people."

"I did."

"I just thought that since that happened, you'd have some…moves." Bane said, shrugging.

Hooks didn't know what to say to him. Yes, she had killed eleven people, but she'd never had to fight them. She either shot them at a long distance, or killed them up close and personal where nobody could see them. The only reason she got caught in the first place was because the man she was going to kill apparently slept with a gun under his pillow. She still had the scar on her ribs to prove it.

"I didn't fight any of the people I killed." Hooks said, "I never needed to."

Bane leaned against the bars of his cell, clearly deep in thought. His muscular arms were folded over his chest, brows furrowed, a slight frown possessing his features. She watched him silently, wondering what on earth he must be thinking about. His eyes moved as he thought, still trained on the ground, and a hand came up to rub his chin.

Finally his beautiful eyes rose to meet hers, "I could teach you."

"Really?"

"I wouldn't be easy on you." He said, "I may not always be here to help you."

"Are you saying you're going to try the climb?" Hooks asked, an odd feeling spreading through her stomach. She didn't want him to leave. Not yet.

He looked away, "People die in this prison all the time."

"After the way you went into badass mode last night, I wouldn't be too worried about yourself." She said.

His lips quirked up, "I could teach you everything I know."

"Where'd you learn?"

"I taught myself."

"Well, you must be a damn fine teacher, count me in!" Hooks said.

Bane stood quietly for a moment just staring at her, and ever so slowly, a smile crept on his face. Hooks stared back at him like she thought he was a lunatic, "What?"

"If you're going to train with me, you're going to have to cut your hair." Bane said.

A hand involuntarily shot up to her brown locks, "Oh no, uh uh. You're not touching my hair. You don't even have anything to cut it with!"

"You want to make a bet?"

"Yes, I do!"

"I have a knife that I will cut your hair with."

"I doubt it, so I'm going to bet you. We're betting." Hooks said, crossing her arms.

"Alright, fine. What do you have that you could give me?" Bane asked, as they exited the cell.

"It's the other way around." Hooks said, "And, how about winner…gets…"

Suddenly a prisoner jumped on Bane's back and said, "A kiss!" and kissed him on the cheek. Bane groaned and threw the prisoner off of him like an insect and said, "Mace, I almost just killed you."

"But you didn't!" the man named Mace said, "And I settled you're bet for you. Winner gets a kiss! And Bane," Mace pulled a knife from his pants, putting it in Bane's hands, "is the winner."

"Do I want to know where this has been?" Bane asked, holding up the knife.

"Actually, Bane doesn't win. He said _he _had a knife. That's his." Hooks said, nodding in Mace's direction.

The red haired prisoner laughed, slapping Bane on the back, "Oh she got you, Bane!"

"You're not cutting my hair."

"I am." Bane said.

"You're not!"

Within the minute, Hooks was over Bane's knee, Mace holding onto her flailing arms. She could hear Bane's chuckles as he said, "Hold still, you're making this more difficult than it really is."

He let her go, and she sprung to her feet, feeling her head. He hadn't cut it all off, he'd left just enough for it to be put into a ponytail high on her head, "Oh you're lucky it's not all gone, pal, or I would have-"

"You would have what?" Bane asked.

"Well, I don't know yet, but it would have been bad." Hooks said, crossing her arms, "Who is this guy anyway?" she asked, pointing her thumb at Mace.

"This is Mason Fidel. I call him Mace, he's my friend." Bane said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on did you just say friend?" Hooks asked, "I didn't know you had friends down here."

Mace snorted and Bane said, "Watch it. And it's just one, Mace is my only friend."

"If you can call me that." Mace said, "Nobody really is friends down here, we just have people that we can tolerate."

"So, I'm tolerating Bane? He's really not my friend?" Hooks asked.

"More like _Bane _is tolerating _you_." Mace said.

"Shut up." Bane said, pushing Mace away, "We have business to attend to."

"Is that what they call it these days?"

Bane shot a threatening look at Mace that would have made even Satan cringe. Mace held up his hands, "Only joking, only joking." And started walking backwards off to wherever he stayed.

"We're going to the top floor of the prison. It's deserted up there." Bane said.

Hooks craned her neck to look all the way up the prison. All she saw were a lot of stairs. She sighed, preparing herself for the climb. Not even half way up, she thought she was going to die. She was breathing in gasps of cool air, trying to wipe the sweat out of her eyes, "How much further?" she asked Bane

He looked behind him as he climbed the stairs, "Why? Tired?"

"Yes!" she gasped.

"Good." He said, turning back around.

Another five minutes passed, before she collapsed on the staircase, "I need to stop."

"No you don't." Bane said, "You just think you do."

"No I really don't think I can go anymore."

"You whine a lot for someone who managed to get thrown in here."

She noted that he hadn't even broken a sweat, and was just starting to breathe in deep drags, "Then I guess I'm wimpy."

Bane rolled his eyes, "Come here." He picked her up by the waist and threw her over his shoulder, continuing the climb. He ascended the staircase for another ten minutes before they reached the top.

He suddenly threw her legs over his shoulder, and she tumbled off of him. Hooks managed to catch herself and do a somersault to soften the landing. When she rose, Bane nodded in approval, "I must say, I'm a little surprised."

"You and me both." Hooks said.

"I want you to start with pushups." Bane said, "One hundred of them."

Hooks felt her mouth drop open, "A hundred? I can do ten."

"Well today, you'll be able to do one hundred." Bane said, "Now get down."

She slowly got to the ground and started on the pushups. She managed to surpass ten and make it to twenty five, surprising herself, when she felt Bane place his foot on her back.

"Excuse me? What are you doing?" she asked.

"Providing the challenge." Bane said.

"One hundred pushups is a challenge!"

"I can do a hundred fifty without breaking a sweat, three hundred easily." Bane said.

"Right." Hooks said, pushing on. With every couple pushups she did, Bane increased the pressure of his foot, until she was convinced he was standing on her.

"I can't do anymore." She said, when she reached fifty.

"It's because you're not trying." Bane said roughly, "If you did pushups as much as you whined, you would have surpassed even my record."

"My arms-"

"Stop complaining!" Bane shouted, "Push yourself! You're not even trying!"

"Yes I am!" she said angrily.

"Then prove it!"

She ground her teeth at the pain in her arms, and pumped on. When she reached a hundred, Bane's foot left her back, but she kept going. She wanted to prove to him that she could do what he wanted and more.

Finally she stopped after doing one hundred and thirty pushups. She sat up, and looked up at Bane. His face was unreadable, but she saw the approval in his eyes, "Next?"

He jerked his chin in the direction of a group of cells, "Chin ups."

Her stomach sank, "Chin ups?"

"Chin ups."

She rose to her feet and slowly approached the cells. She tried to raise her arms, but they were shaking and felt like rubber. Hooks finally got her hands around the cold steel bars and tried to pull herself up. She didn't even budge off the ground.

"Bane-"

His hands gripped her waist and said, "Now try."

She pulled and felt him pick her up a little. She managed to do one chin up with barely any of his help. He set her down, "That's enough of that for today, but I want you to actually go down the stairs by yourself this time."

"That's it?" she asked, "We're done for now? I did one chin up! I thought for sure I'd be doing another hundred of them."

He nodded, "Once your body gets more into shape, we can do more things. For now, it's good to just do simple workouts."

"Ok, you're the teacher." Hooks said, following him to the stairs.

She heard the familiar sound of thunder at the opening of the pit, "Again?" she asked, "There was a storm last night!"

"You're not sleeping in my cot tonight." Bane said, but she could hear the smile in his words.

"Just until it's over?"

He stayed silent, even as they reached the last step. Hooks dove into her cell, crinkling Bane's blanket into a pillow, and buried her face in it. It felt good to lie down.

She heard the cot creak as Bane settled himself on it, sighing.

"How long have you been in here, Bane?" she asked.

"Longer than you think."

"How old are you?"

He turned to her smiling, "Don't you know you're never supposed to ask someone their age?"

She laughed, but quickly jumped after another clap of thunder roared outside.

"Are you honestly that scared?" Bane asked. She nodded. "Why?" he asked.

"When I was little there was a tornado at my house." She said, "Destroyed everything we owned. Ever since, I've hated storms."

"I hate bats." Bane said quietly.

"Bats are creepy." Hooks agreed, "And spiders."

"Snakes."

"Rats."

They both laughed softly at each other. "There are rats in here you know." Bane said, sending them into silence. A moment passed, and they both started laughing again.

"Bane?" Hooks said after another moment of silence.

"Hmm?" he asked, obviously keeping himself awake.

"Can we be friends?" she asked.

She felt his eyes on her in the darkness, "Of course."

Finally she fell half-asleep, when the storm outside took a violent turn as wind ripped into the pit. It flattened her against the floor, smothering her, chilling her to the bone. She had her face buried in the blanket, hoping it would stop soon, when she felt strong arms surround her.

She snapped fully awake and gasped. "I would have thought you would have learned to lock your cell by now." Bane's voice whispered in her ear as he picked her up. She groggily asked him what he was doing, when she felt herself being lowered to the ground. But the ground turned out to be the cot, and a warm blanket was draped over her.

She felt Bane slide in next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her against him. Finally she was flooded with warmth, and she sighed, "Thanks Bane."

"Go to sleep." He whispered.

She couldn't argue with that.

_**:) You guys, you…you guys. You have made me so happy! I feed off of reviews, and all of yours have been so kind, I thank you so much! Miss Ashlynn, I thank you for your review, and have explained things in this chapter. Hooks is kind of a whiner, but she'll toughen up in time. On another note, I whole-heartedly send my sincere condolences to the victims of the Aurora shooting. It was a tragedy that didn't need to happen. But to those out there that are blaming it on The Dark Knight Rises movie itself, I'm sorry, but that's wrong. Some are saying that it's because of the movie's violence that made Mr. Holmes go off like that. I can't help but disagree. In the movie's defense, those there for the screening hadn't even seen it yet, and..come on..it's a movie! Like I said, I send my prayers to those affected by it, but let's not blame it on a movie. Okay, my ranting is over now! Oh, and the mystery of why Hooks doesn't have a cot will be revealed in the next chapter! Read, review, do what you like! Go ahead, make my day! :) (I had to say it!) **_


	4. Chapter 4

_Deh-Shay, de-shay. Bah-sah-rah, bah-sah-rah. _

The prisoners chanted, loudly, vigorously, like their lives depended on it. Everyone hoped and prayed that the man climbing the wall would make it out, prove to them that escape wasn't impossible.

Bane watched the newest contestant in a game that would never end, watched how the rope was tied snuggly around his waist. He knew the prisoner wouldn't make it, he was much too small and frail looking to have any hope.

He stood next to Hooks on the second floor of the prison, wrapped in the two blankets they had. She turned to him, "Why is it so damn cold?" her breath visible in the air.

"There is always one day out of the year that is colder than all get out." Bane said, wrapping his blanket tightly around his shoulders, although it only covered him to his waist.

She put a hand on his arm and gaped at him, "And how are you so damn hot?"

He only shrugged, but gave her a small smile. Hooks rolled her eyes and turned them upon the prisoner who had already started climbing. There were a couple times that looked like he was about to fall, but he managed to finally make it to the ledge. The prisoner turned to his audience, giving them a smile and a wave. Bane watched, with a mix of emotions, as the prisoner removed the rope from his waist, and re-tied it around his neck. He backed up to get a running start, and leapt through the air. For a moment it looked as if he were actually going to make it. Bane swore the prisoner's fingers brushed the other ledge, but in the end he missed, the sound of his neck breaking echoed throughout the prison.

He had given up. As did many men in the prison. This man had chosen either escape or death, either in which he would have escaped. He chose his fate long before he put the noose around his neck.

Hooks watched silently. She had long ago seen the suicides of some prisoners. They would jump from the ledge, from the higher floors of the prison, they would do just about anything to get out of the place. She had been frightened and saddened the first couple times she had seen the suicides, but just as everyone else had learned to cope with them, so had she.

"So…Bane," Hooks started, "whatever _did _happen to _my_ cot?"

"It was involved with the unfortunate accident that broke your former cell holder's neck." Bane said, "It was somehow ripped out of the cell and thrown over the railing."

"I see." She said.

After a while Hooks bumped him, "So, we going to train today or what?"

"If you want to." Bane said, "I was going to give you a day off for all the hard work you've accomplished."

"Are you complimenting me?" she asked excitedly.

"It would seem."

Hooks had been in the pit for a year now, and she had demonstrated a sheer determination he hadn't thought she had. By the end of their first week of combat training, she had convinced him that she could take half the men in the prison. She had even managed to land a punch on him.

Once.

They looked back to the man who had hung himself. He was swinging back and forth, blood dripping down his body from where the bone in his neck had torn through his skin. Bane could see his lifeless eyes from where he stood. They were staring directly at him and Hooks. A shiver involuntarily went down his spine, and he turned away. Those eyes would haunt his dreams for nights to come.

"We should bring Mace for a punching bag." Hooks said. In the time that she had been here, she and Mace had developed a bond. At first it made Bane feel some odd feelings he'd never before experienced, still baffling him, but as time wore on those feelings went away. He knew Mace would never be able to take care of her the way he was able to, and he had witnessed the red haired man try to touch Hooks in an intimate way once. It had resulted in Mace on the floor with a bloody nose. It was in that moment, that Bane was sure she could now handle herself.

That didn't mean he still couldn't watch over her.

"If you want, go find him. I'm sure he'd love to be your personal dummy." Bane said.

Hooks smiled, "He'd probably love that a little too much. Either way, it'll be fun." She turned and sauntered off to find Mace. Bane watched her go, no longer afraid for her safety. Because no matter how much he knew she could defend herself, he knew no prisoners would touch her now. They knew she was his. He had made his possession of her clear the second day she had arrived, when he had saved her from the raping that would have followed. He might not be able to keep their wandering eyes off of her body, but he sure as hell could keep their hands off. Everyone knew he wasn't someone to mess with.

A while later she returned with Mace in tow, following her like a dog on a leash. Bane also knew how his friend felt toward her, and he _also _knew that Mace wouldn't dare touch her. As dumb as Mace was, he still had something other than rocks in his head.

"Mace has agreed to let me beat him up to give you a break." Hooks said.

"Give me a break? You haven't given me a single bruise yet." Bane said.

"Maybe not, but you still probably feel the pain that I inflict upon you!" Hooks said, rather dramatically, winking at him.

"Should I be scared?" Mace asked.

"Yes." Hooks said, her face sobering up into a serious frown.

Bane shook his head, "Go." Their posse started up the long series of stairs ahead of them. Hooks had finally been able to carry herself up them without whining a month after they had started getting her into shape. Now she was able to do nearly two hundred pushups, but with the occasional complaint.

Mace on the other hand had to be drug up the stairs, "I'm never coming with you again." he said.

When they reached the top, Hooks started on her usual stretches, while Mace caught up on his breathing. Bane looked back down where the man that had killed himself was now being lifted to a different area of the prison. He had been so close, _so _close to reaching the other ledge. Bane's heart had nearly leapt out of his chest when he saw the fingers scrape along the edge of the ledge. It had sprung hope in him, something he hadn't felt in years.

Hooks was helping a complaining Mace to his feet, assuring him that she would go easy on him. But Mace didn't last long, and Hooks' shoulders slumped, "I can't fight with him! He's too wimpy."

"That's what you looked like the first time I brought you up here." Bane said.

"I'm actually ashamed." Hooks said.

Bane sighed, "Come on." He held up his hands for her to practice on. She threw a couple punches and kicks, practiced on her flexibility and speed. The only chance she might have had against Bane was her unnatural flexibility. She was able to bend backwards and touch her heels, like he was able to bend forward and touch his toes. She was a remarkably good fighter for someone who hadn't ever punched a person in her life. Well, besides the soldiers who had given her her name.

Hooks swung herself over the railing, giving Mace a near heart attack. She hooked her feet in between the rungs and gently lowered herself down, before coming back up. Bane had shown her that so she could work her abs more intensely than crunches would allow.

A warm feeling of pride overcame him as he watched her. He may not be able to come out and say it, but there was definitely something about her that intrigued him, had intrigued him from day one.

His thoughts drifted back to the hanging man. The picture still played in his mind of the fingers brushing the ledge. It was the hope he had been waiting for, praying for. He decided it then and there, knowing deep down he was deciding right.

Hooks noticed his state and said, "What's going on in there?" and waved her hand in front of his face.

Bane nodded to himself and finally said, "I'm going to do it."

"Do what?" Mace asked.

"I'm going to do the climb."

_** Dun dun duuuuun! Bane has finally decided his fate! We are coming to the end of our prison stay, the chapter after the next may be the last of Hooks' time in the pit. :O Sorry if this chapter was kind of sucky towards the end, but I'm hoping the next one will cheer you up a bit. **_

_** I was trolling around on the internet the other day, and I came across the French version of Bane, like his voice and everything, and it was creepy! I totally didn't like it as much as Tom Hardy's even **_**if **_**people say they couldn't understand him. (which is very hard to believe considering I understood him loud and clear) I guess they just can't handle the awesomeness Tom brought upon us all. **_

_** Oh, and if you guys didn't catch it, this is a year after the last chapter. So Hooks is pretty good at fighting. She'll probably make her debut in the next chapter! I know I kind of sped it up, but I don't want this story to drag out. I'm also warring with the idea of changing the rating. A.k.a. hooking them up one night, what do you guys think? If you want me to go ahead with that idea it would be in the next chapter, cause it has the potential to get a bit steamy. So I'll leave it up to you! Because if they do hook up, I want it to be before he puts on the mask, because that's when he goes into his dark stage. There's also another reason why he snaps, but you'll see that later on! **_

_** Anyway, read, review, do what you want! I'm just so very thankful at all the reviews I have gotten so far! :'D **_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Oooook! So I didn't know if I really wanted to change the rating on the whole story, because ***__**sniff**__*** there probably won't be another chapter like this one. So for now, this chapter is rated M, so everyone has to be mature adults about it. Yes, there is sexual content in it, so if you don't dig things like this, you can skip over it, but at least read the beginning, because that's not sexual content. **_

"You're what?" Mace asked.

Hooks tried to ask the same, but her voice could not come to her. She was left only to stare at Bane as his eyes looked up at the opening of the pit.

"I'm going to try to escape."

"Now?"

"Now."

"But," Hooks finally managed, "but what about my training?"

Bane turned his eyes upon her, "You're more than capable of taking care of yourself now. Anyway, we don't even know I'll make it."

But the truth that everyone in their small group knew, was that if anyone in the pit could get out, it was Bane. Hooks felt her stomach tighten, her body grow numb. She did want him to escape, really she did. But at the same time, she didn't want to see him go. He was her friend, and she couldn't deny the feelings that had risen inside her.

Mace clapped Bane on the back, "Well, good luck then, man. We won't forget you."

Bane nodded his thanks at Mace and turned to Hooks. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it. He seemed to be trying to think of what he wanted to say, how to put his thoughts into words. Hooks smiled half-heartedly, "Goodbye, Bane." It wasn't really the type of farewell she wanted, but when there was so much sadness in Hooks' chest, it was the easiest thing to do.

Bane nodded, and then turned to proceed to the staircase. When he was at the top, ready to descend, Hooks suddenly heard herself shout, "Bane!" he looked toward her, and she started running. She didn't realize she was until she was in Bane's arms, hugging him like her life depended on it. They stayed in their embrace for what seemed like only a short moment, before Hooks stepped back, "Good luck."

"Thank you, Hooks." Bane said. He had never said her name before. Not even when he was shouting at her, fighting with her, not even when he was comforting her. She knew deep down, that he would make the jump, not only because he was stronger than everyone here, but because he was ready. He had the hope.

She walked back to stand with Mace, who put a friendly arm around her in comfort. They watched from the second floor as Bane was fitted with the rope. The prisoners noticed this, and the chant started.

_Deh-Shay, de-shay. Bah-sah-rah, bah-sah-rah. _

Hooks had long ago learned from Bane what they were saying. She started chanting along with them, watching as Bane started up the side of the wall. He climbed with purpose, his hood falling from his face. The face she would never see again. That thought sent a wave of grief through her. But she could not be sad, only happy that her friend was finally escaping from this place of darkness.

_Deh-Shay, de-shay. Bah-sah-rah, bah-sah-rah. _

The prison was deafening by the time Bane had reached the ledge. He didn't look out at the other prisoners like everyone else, but at Hooks and Mace. He only looked, didn't nod, didn't wave. But he didn't need to. All the farewell in the world was pooled in his eyes.

_Deh-Shay, de-shay. Bah-sah-rah, bah-sah-rah. _

Hooks saw Bane's knees bend in ready for the jump. "Come on." She whispered. Bane jumped, his body flying gracefully through the gap in the ledges. The prison went silent. Hooks felt herself rise to her tip toes as he jumped, her hands going to her mouth. Bane's hands slapped onto the other ledge, his feet swinging to dig into the rock.

The prison exploded into cheers, shaking the walls. In all the years the men had been here, this was the first time anyone had given them so much faith. Finally someone had made it, someone was escaping. Hooks' arms flew into the air and she threw herself into Mace's arms, sobbing, laughing, and cheering at the same time.

Bane hauled himself onto the ledge, looking back at the other. Hooks could see his shoulders shaking and the smile on his face. She knew he was laughing.

He looked back over to where Hooks stood with Mace, both of them with tears in their eyes. He smiled then, and looked up at the sky, then back to Hooks. His head dropped to his feet, as if contemplating something, and then he looked back to the sky. Finally he turned to climb up the rest of the wall. At the top, he stood on the ledge and opened his arms, letting out a cry of happiness. They all watched transfixed, wanting desperately to see what he was. Bane did a full turn, just staring at everything around him, soaking up what he could before he went on his way.

But then he did something that shocked the whole prison to silence.

Bane spread out his arms again, embracing the sun, and fell backwards, just like Hooks had when she had first entered the prison. Hooks watched open mouthed as the rope snapped straight, and Bane's fall was stopped. He was lowered to the ground and met with confused stares from everyone in the prison. Even the men who didn't have the strength to stand on their feet, found some this one time to stare at the man who had given up freedom.

Bane walked with renewed purpose to the staircase and started climbing them. Hooks turned and started walking briskly toward him, "Bane what are you doing? Why did you do that? Why didn't you escape?"

"I couldn't leave you here." He said.

"I would have been fine. You taught me remember? I would have been fine without you." She said softly.

"But I wouldn't have." He whispered.

Before she could get any words out, he had pulled her into his arms, shocking her to silence. His blue-green eyes stared at her with a look she had never seen from him before. His thumb rose to gently trace her lips as a hand wound its way in her hair. Hooks was sure her heart had stopped, was sure she was going to pass out at any moment. This was what she had only dreamed of, thought of every time she looked at him. Slowly, gently, their lips met, and suddenly there was no one around them. There were no prisoners, no prison, no Mace. Only them, embracing each other like two lovers who had been reunited after too long of years. Hooks felt her feet leaving the floor, her legs being wrapped around his waist. Bane held her to him in an iron grasp, not wanted to let her go for another second.

She felt her back hit the bars of the cells, and laughed. Bane broke the kiss and looked up at her with a smile. She traced a scar high on his forehead, and leaned down to softly touch her lips to his. She felt herself on the move again, and then she was lowered to the cot they had shared every night there was a storm or certain prisoners would harass her. When he would put his strong arms around her and tell her everything would be alright as long as he was there. Bane kissed her slowly, intimately. She heard herself moan into his lips as he slowly started unbuttoning the prison rags she had on.

"Move along, nothing to see here!" They heard Mace say outside the cell, "I said go! Jesus fan you give people some goddamn privacy around here!"

Bane looked up at Mace who was just outside their cell, directing prisoners in the other direction, "Mace."

"Hmm?" he asked turning to them. Bane gave him the look and Mace suddenly jumped saying, "Oh! Right!" he scurried to the edge of the cell block to keep the prisoners from entering.

Hooks laughed, meeting Bane in another kiss. He trailed them down her jaw, down her neck, making her breathing ragged. He slowly opened her shirt, sitting up to view her. She felt self-conscious as his beautiful eyes wandered over her body. He must have seen the look in her eyes because he said, "You have nothing to be ashamed of." He shook his head, "You are beautiful."

His hands found all of the right places. Made her gasp and moan as she felt him. His body was solid, molded with muscle he had acquired in all his years in prison. His back was what intrigued her, so hard with muscle, so sweet under her fingers. She looked up into his eyes, stroking his face, feeling every crevice, wanting to memorize it by touch.

Bane pulled a blanket around them to shield them from the biting cold that was still in the air. Hooks pulled him down to her lips as he wrapped her thigh around his waist. She felt him _there_, felt him ready. He pulled out of the kiss and said, "Only if you want to."

She nodded, voice evading her again. This moment was so perfect.

She gasped, her body arching into his as he entered her. His hands delicately stroking her back as their bodies moved with each other, molding into one. Hooks lost all sense of time, the only thing certain was the complete and utter joy spreading through her veins. Never in all the times had she done this, had it been out of love for the other person. Bane was the first man she had ever felt the slightest feelings for. The first man who had ever made her feel like she was loved.

With one last thrust, Hooks felt herself loose even the sense of joy. She was wrapped in a blanket of pure bliss, holding onto Bane for all she was worth. Finally they lay on the cot, neither moving. She clung to him, and he to her, both staring at the other in wonder.

They stayed like that the rest of the night, and fell into a pleasurable sleep, each holding the other as if in farewell.

_**Holy man guys, I come on an hour after I post my last chapter and already I have ten reviews? I nearly passed out at Fleet Farm! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I got up real early this morning to write this chapter for you, because THAT'S how excited I was. **_

_**So this chapter really gave me fuzzies, but that's just me. I hope I wrote it well enough, because I can never to good kiss scenes. I can picture it in my head and get all excited, but when I read my work it's…..meh. So I hope this one was a good one! And SURPRISE! I may even put another chapter up here yet today because I'm so damn excited I might die. Legitally, I might need someone to call 911. **_

_**So, read, review, do what you want! Expect another chapter up yet today, but if it's not, I'm eternally sorry.**_


	6. Chapter 6

"Bane! _Bane_!"

Hooks snapped awake, and felt Bane jump up in alarm. The god awful screaming continued, bouncing off the walls in a chorus of pain. Bane quickly dressed and swept from the cell, leaving Hooks behind to dress herself.

In the hall below she could hear the prisoners shouting vulgar words and threatening statements. There was a man they were torturing, killing slowly, and he was calling for Bane. Hooks ran to the balcony to see what was happening. The prisoners had surrounded someone and were beating him to a pulp. Blood spilled across the floor into a drain that was built into the cement. Her trained eyes found the victim and her heart stopped beating.

It was Mace.

Bane dove through the mob to the center where Mace lay. The shouting had stopped, and the whole prison was eerily quiet. The prisoners stood there, their eyes all trained on Bane, who held onto Mace. Hooks heard a shuffle behind her and she turned just in time to duck under a bar swung at her from behind.

The prisoner swung again, but Hooks caught the bar midair, sending tendrils of pain shooting up her arm. She yanked it out of the surprised attacker's hand, and struck him in the stomach with the butt end of it. The attacker doubled over in pain, and she slammed her elbow into his back, causing him to tumble to the floor.

The shouting had started up in the hall again, and when Hooks looked, Bane was standing in front of a nearly unrecognizable Mace, fighting to keep his friend alive. She swung around the rail to the stairs and took them two at a time, but some prisoners had noticed her arrival.

She swung the cell bar at one man but he ducked and tackled her to the ground. The bar fell out of her hand and skittered out of her reach. She turned back to face the man who had straddled her, and caught the punch he threw at her face. He was hit from behind knocking him off of her, and Hooks was surprised to see an older prisoner offering her his hand. She looked at it hesitantly, but he nodded at her. She took it and he hoisted her to her feet. Hooks nodded in thanks and retrieved her bar.

She met Bane's eyes for an instant, and a look of fear flashed through them. It startled her, rattled her to the core. She had never seen fear in Bane's eyes. He looked back at her and gave a curt shake of his head. She knew then that he was afraid for her, that she would dive into that mess and get herself hurt. He had said no, and that was final.

But Hooks had never been good at listening.

She looked at the old man who had diligently stayed by her side, "You got my back?"

He nodded.

"Okay then." Hooks said, and advanced on the mob. She swung the bar at an unsuspecting prisoner, hitting him in the head with a solid _crack_! He crumpled to the ground, attracting the attention of the men around him. Three prisoners turned to look at Hooks and the old man with dark emotionless eyes. Hooks tightened her grip on the bar and got ready for the attack.

One man lunged at her with a knife, something highly coveted in the prison. She danced out of the blade's way twisting to try and get to the prisoner before he could get the knife back up. He swiped again, catching her in the shoulder and sending a spray of blood arcing through the air. Hooks ignored the pain it caused and caught his arm the next time he swiped at her. She twisted it behind his back, causing him to drop the knife and fall to his knees. The old man had managed to subdue one of the other prisoners, and picked up the knife Hooks' attacker had dropped, plunging it into his neck. He twisted it in good, before tearing it back out.

Hooks and the old man battled their way to the middle, where Bane still stood his ground, bleeding from a score of wounds on his body. Most of the attention was focused on him, so Hooks hardly had any trouble knocking men out with the cell bar. She was grateful for the old man though, he had saved her life many times in the past few minutes.

Hooks and the old man broke through the lines and took up defense on the other side of Mace, the three of them: Hooks, Bane, and the old man, making a protective circle around the fallen prisoner.

"Hooks." Mace said through the blood in his mouth.

"Hold on, Mace, we'll get you out of here."

"Hooks." He said it more desperately this time.

She turned to him and saw the knife he held in his hand. He held it up to her and she took it nodding in thanks. Armed with the cell bar and the knife, Hooks battled on. She took punch after punch, kick after kick, but she would not lose her ground. She refused to see them get to Mace. Beside her, the old man was fighting with a ferocity she didn't think he would have possessed. His nametag had read Chenkov, so she took a wild guess and said he was from Russia.

She heard Bane shout in pain and saw him double over. The prisoner attacking him rose a bar similar to her own up to strike him, but she threw the knife with an expert hand, burying it in his chest.

"Bane!" Chenkov suddenly shouted.

Bane punched a prisoner and looked to Chenkov, who threw his head in Hooks' direction. Bane understood him perfectly. The old man had known the plan. Bane realized now, that the prisoners wanted her dead. For some unconceivable reason, they wanted her dead, and the only way to do that was to get rid of Mace and himself, first. They were the only two that would protect her to the death.

Hooks was fighting with determination, and already a pile of bodies was at her feet. Bane watched her in approval, but he knew she would never last in the prison. He looked down to Mace, who was watching him with exhausted eyes. Mace nodded, and a feeling of grief arose in Bane's chest. Mace held up his hand, and Bane hauled him to his feet, "No."

"For her, Bane." Mace mumbled.

Bane felt the pain in his throat that was usually followed by tears as he pushed Mace into the crowd of prisoners. They hacked and clawed at him with the bars and knives, some of them with their own hands. With the new distraction, Bane swept Hooks off her feet and charged through the crowd, feeling hands clawing at his shirt. Chenkov was behind him, fending off the attackers.

He hoisted Hooks onto the platform and said, "Go."

"What?" she asked incredulously.

"You need to make the climb, now." Bane said.

"I can't-"

"They're going to kill you if you don't leave _now_!" Bane shouted, pushing her in the direction of the wall, "You don't have time for the rope, Hooks, you have to make the jump."

Tears welled up in her eyes, "But what about you?"

He hopped up on the platform, "I'm right behind you."

Chenkov was being overwhelmed by the mob of prisoners below them.

Bane took Hooks' hand in his, pulling her into him in one last embrace. "Go." He said, pressing his lips to hers, "Go."

Hooks started climbing, the feeling of nothing around her to stop her fall was nerve racking. The sound of the attacking prisoners below her was deafening. The grief of Mace's sacrifice for her overwhelming.

The climb seemed like it took an eternity, the wall slippery with grime and water. She rose herself up on the ledge, her palms sweaty. Her eyes were fixed on the other ledge, her heart beating against her ribs. This was it, it was do or die. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, drowning out the sound of the attacking prisoners. _Deh-Shay, de-shay. Bah-sah-rah, bah-sah-rah. _She thought.

Her eyes snapped open and she took a running leap through the air. The ledge came up fast, and for a moment she didn't think she was going to make it. But she was met with the solid feeling of cement on her hands, her feet hitting the bottom of it.

She pulled herself up, laughing, and looked to the other ledge to see if Bane was laughing, too. But he wasn't there. She looked down at the wall, but he wasn't there either.

She found him at the bottom of the platform, fighting off prisoners, "Bane!" she shouted, feeling tears sting her eyes.

He looked up at her and shouted, "Go! Now!"

Hooks was going back, she had to. He had gone back for her, how could she not go back for him? She was preparing to jump back to the other ledge when he shouted, "Don't even think about it! Get out of here!"

She looked down at him. His hood fell from around his face, revealing the cuts already made. Behind him she saw a prisoner with a scar over his left eye advancing toward Bane with a knife. Bane smiled at her, and then let himself be taken by the prisoners. She saw his body disappear into the sea of inmates, and it was over. They all piled themselves on top of each other, clawing at him, beating him. The prisoner with the scar emerged from the pile, raising his knife so she could see the dark blood that stained it. She turned away from the horrific scene with tears spilling from her eyes, and reached a shaking hand up to the wall.

She crawled over the wall and tumbled onto the earth below her. She laid there for a moment, not knowing what to do. Then, with tears streaming down her face, she ran.

_**As I promised, I have a new chapter up yet today! Woohoo! **_

_**Is it bad that while I was writing it, I was crying just a tad? I was very very sad to get rid of Mace, because his character had potential, but his sacrifice was just so satisfying to me. AND while I was writing this I was listening to Rise on TDKR track, which made me extremely sad in the beginning. Hans Zimmer does an excellent job making his listeners feel like they're actually in the movie! At least I feel that way. **_

_**Anyway, read, review, do what you want! :D**_


	7. Chapter 7

Hooks didn't know how long she had been running. Time seemed like it was nonexistent as she stumbled around, blind with grief. She hadn't found any civilization in the hours that she had been running, nobody that could help her. Finally, with no strength left to even walk, she collapsed to the earth, hoping she would die there.

Everyone she loved was gone.

Mace had died. Bane had died. That old man, Chenkov probably died. Her parents had died. And now she, too, would die. She tried to ignore the pain in her chest, the feeling of her heart missing. It had been torn out of her chest when Bane had disappeared in the mob. The blood on Scarface's knife was surely that of her own, where he cut out her heart.

Day turned into night, and night into day, and yet Hooks still lay where she had fallen. She was no longer able to cry, there were no more tears in her body she could use. All she had were dry sobs that would choke her every now and then.

She didn't want to shut her eyes, because when she did, she relived the scene. Bane's hood falling, him smiling before being taken by the mob, Scarface with the bloody knife. Hooks shuttered as nausea overwhelmed her, making her gag.

She didn't even notice when the three black vehicles pulled up next to her, or when the man in the dark suit stepped out. It was only when he knelt next to her, that her eyes travelled up to meet his.

"Where did you get these?" he asked, lifting up the sleeve of her prison rags.

"Where do you think?" she asked, her voice weak, broken, "Prison."

"The pit?" the man asked, obviously surprised.

Hooks nodded, feeling the nausea come again. She didn't want to talk about that place.

The man looked up with a small smile before turning his eyes back down on her, "What is your name, Miss Moltisanti?"

"Beck." She said, no longer wishing to be called Hooks. That was her prison name.

"My name is Ra's al Ghul. I am the leader of an organization called the League of Shadows."

"Good for you." Hooks said, "I'm Beck, better known as Hooks. Escaped inmate of the worst prison known to man."

Ra's looked somewhat annoyed at being interrupted, but carried on, "I want you to be a part of my organization. We can teach you many things you never knew possible."

"What is this organization about?" Hooks asked, "Spiritual stuff?"

"Fighting, at the top level." Ra's said.

Hooks doubled over with pain. Fighting…at the top level. Bane's face flashed into her mind, the approval of her punch to his chest as they practiced combat fighting, flashing in his eyes. On the top level.

"So the best fighters ever?"

"I guess you could say that. I've trained many important men, Miss Moltisanti." Ra's said, "I've never trained a woman, but being that you escaped from the world's most dangerous prison, that makes you an exception."

Hooks sat up, staring this Ra's character down. He looked like a promising guy, someone who would stand by his morals. He didn't look like the type that would kidnap her and do unspeakable things to her. He also looked vaguely like Liam Neeson, one of the most badass actors ever, making her feel a little better about him.

The League of Shadows. She had never heard of it before, but then again, maybe that's how they kept it, in secret.

A thought sprang into her mind, one that could bring both unspeakable pain, and satisfying serenity. She looked up at Ra's, "Okay, I'll be part of your League of whatevers, but," she said, holding up a finger as Ra's tried to speak, "on one condition."

The car ride was bumpy and uncomfortable, even more so because one of Ra's men was stitching up her shoulder where one of the prisoners had cut her with a knife. Ra's sat next to her, giving her a bottle of water and some chips.

"It's not the best food, but it's all we have." Ra's said.

"Are you kidding me?" Hooks asked, stuffing her face with Doritos, "This is amazing!"

They drove for what seemed like an hour in silence, everyone keeping a keen eye out. Apparently they told her the place was hard to see. The man stitching her shoulder gave a tug on the string, and then cut it with some scissors, "There, all done."

The guy driving pulled over and said, "It's right there, sir."

Ra's opened the car door and helped Hooks out, but stopped her before she went in, "You'll need this." He guided her over to the second vehicle behind them, a truck with a couple boxes in the back. He pried one open with his bare hands, and handed her a black vest with black clothes to put underneath.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Official League of Shadows dress." Ra's said cheerfully, "That's a bullet proof vest."

She quickly put it on, liking the light weight feel of it. It made her feel badass, "I'm ready."

Ra's nodded to his men, having given them instructions during the car ride there. They quietly surrounded their target, and then secured lines on the opening before jumping over the edge. There was a lot of shouting that followed, a lot of gunfire. Hooks looked to Ra's who said, "I instructed them not to shoot anyone, but that doesn't mean we can't just shoot up in the air."

Finally a man surfaced and said, "It's secure."

With the help of Ra's, Hooks fastened her line to the wall, put on the black helmet everyone else wore, and jumped into the pit yet again. The prisoners all watched her descend, obviously not knowing who she was, with wide terrified eyes. She didn't say a word, just kept the black helmet on while she hunted out the man she was looking for. Finally she saw him, hunkered next to the wall on the far side of the prison. She strode over to him, tore the helmet from her head and grabbed Scarface by the collar of his rags, "Where is he?" she whispered.

Scarface laughed, "Where is who?"

She picked him up off the ground and slammed him into the wall, "Where is Bane's body?" she asked again, "The man you killed."

Scarface looked at her closely, his eyes widening, "It's you!"

"Damn right it's me." She slammed him into the wall again, her forearm pressed against his neck, "Where is he!" she shouted.

"Please, please." He stuttered, "He's in his cell!"

She narrowed her eyes, "You better not be lying to me."

"I'm not, I swear!" he said.

"Pathetic." She spat. Three of Ra's men, stood behind her, accompanied by Ra's himself, who looked overwhelmingly impressed. She pointed to Scarface, "Make sure he doesn't move, if he's not telling the truth," she turned to him, all the hate she could muster on her face, "well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Hooks took the stairs slowly, trying to prepare herself for seeing Bane's dead mutilated body. She knew no preparing in the world could help her, though.

She approached his cell and saw his body lying on the cot. She didn't see one spot of light blue rags on his upper half, it had all been devoured by his blood. New tears stung her eyes as she entered the cell. His face was nearly unrecognizable. It was completely destroyed. There were multiple wounds elsewhere on his body, but they all paled in comparison to his face. The once handsome face that she had grown to love, the face that she could turn to for comfort or protection.

Hooks fell to her knees, taking his lifeless hand in hers, kissing his knuckles through her tears. "I'm sorry, Bane." She said, "You protected me, and I failed you."

The hand she tightly clasped in hers, moved. It tightened ever so slightly around her fingers. She looked up at his face, saw him peek open his eyes, "Bane? Bane! Oh my God, Ra's!" she shouted, busting out of the cell and nearly toppling over the rail, "Ra's! He's alive, I need your help!"

Ra's snapped his fingers at two Shadow People, and they followed him up to where Hooks was now sobbing over Bane's chest. "You're going to be okay, Bane. We're going to get you out of here."

"Why," Bane whispered, although his words were garbled, "did you….come back?"

"I came back for you." She said, gently stroking his soft brown hair. It was matted with dried blood, wounds evident on his head.

Ra's entered the cell, leaving the Shadow People guarding outside. He grimaced when he saw Bane and said, "This is him?"

Hooks nodded, "This is Bane."

"Well, Bane," Ra's said softly, "Beck, here, has told me all about you."

A garbled horrific sound came from Bane, what Hooks took for as a groan. Even on his death bed, Bane managed to be more human than all the men in the prison put together.

"My name is Ra's al Ghul, I am the leader of an organization called the League of Shadows." Ra's said, reciting the speech he had given Hooks, "I would like for you to join us."

Bane's eyes snapped shut, his brow furrowing in a grimace. Hooks couldn't even begin to understand the pain he was going through.

"Mace…" Bane garbled.

"He's gone, Bane." Hooks said.

Ra's called to his men outside, "Now, we're going to lift you," Ra's said, "we'll try to be as gentle as we can."

The Shadow People gently broke the cot away from the bars of the cell, lifting Bane. He kept his eyes tightly closed the whole time, his hands clenching the cot with a crushing force. At the bottom of the stairs, Scarface threw himself at Hooks, "I told you didn't I?"

"Where's Mace?" she asked.

Scarface pointed to a corner, where a couple bodies lay piled up. She could distinguish the red hair, but Mace's face was crushed, caved in. There wasn't a single piece of flesh left. She turned away and back to Scarface, "And Chenkov, the old man?"

A hand touched her shoulder and she turned to see the old man. He had cuts everywhere, his face, his arms, his neck, _everywhere_. He smiled at her and nodded in greeting. She smiled, putting a hand to his cheek, "Good to see you made it, pal."

He nodded, pointing at her. _You too_. She vaguely wished she could speak Russian, so she could tell this man thank you for what he did.

"Ra's," she said, "we're taking him up too. He doesn't have to be in your league, but he at least deserves freedom."

Ra's nodded, securing cables to Bane's cot, "Well be right back, Miss Moltisanti. We're lifting him up."

Hooks nodded, turning back to Scarface who was kneeling in front of her, "See, I didn't lie!"

She put a hand on either side of his face, smiling, "Thank you for your cooperation," she said, the Shadow People on either side of Scarface glancing at each other, "but your services are no longer required." With that, she gave a sharp twist, feeling his neck break beneath her hands. His body fell to the side, his eyes still open, pleading.

She turned away from him, accompanying Chenkov to the opening of the pit where she reconnected her cable back onto her belt. Chenkov clasped onto her, and they rose up into the sunlight.

_**OH MY GOSH…. You guys…I have over one hundred reviews. :') It has always been a dream of mine to accomplish that. You don't know how awesome I feel about my writing right now, you've all been so great. I cherish your reviews more than anything! **_

_** So here is the next chapter of my story, the last time we will see the pit! Other than when they throw Bruce in there, Hooks will probably be with when they do so. In case you were wondering, yes, Talia will be in the story! But she just wasn't born in the prison, because I uh….I kind of forgot about her. I'M SORRY! But she will be in this thing, yes, yes she will. **_

_** Ooh! Just a shout-out to my USA Olympic Gymnastic ladies who just won GOLD last night! I was so very excited and proud of them! :'D **_

_** So read, review, do what you like! And thank you, thank you, for your amazing reviews! :D**_


	8. Chapter 8

His screams echoed through the halls of the League of Shadows base. Guttural, heart wrenching, painful. Hooks sat on the floor directly across from the room where they were operating on him. She was constantly wringing her hands, taking deep breaths to calm herself and not bust into the room demanding to know why he was in so much pain. Weren't they supposed to sedate him before they did an operation?

A doctor threw open the door, and Hooks jumped to her feet, but he kept walking down the hall. A few minutes later he came back with a rolling cart filled with odd things Hooks had never seen before.

"Don't worry," a voice said from the end of the corridor, "he'll be fine when this is over."

Hooks watched as a short slender woman made her way down the hall. She had short hair and a somewhat kind face, wearing a green sweater and brown pants.

The woman sat down next to Hooks and said, "I'm Talia al Ghul."

"Ra's daughter?" Hooks asked.

"The one and only." Talia said, "You shouldn't worry about the man in there-"

"His name is Bane." Hooks said, cutting her off.

Talia only smiled politely, "Then you shouldn't worry about Bane. When they first brought him in, he knocked one of our doctors out because he wouldn't let him go find you."

Despite the situation, Hooks smiled. The sight of Bane reaching up to punch the doctor putting her in half way decent spirits. She looked over to Talia, "So you're a Shadow Person I'm assuming?"

"If that's what you call my father's men, then no, not yet." Talia said, "My father doesn't want that life for me, I'm just here on holiday."

Hooks frowned, "What holiday is it?"

"It's Christmas!" Talia said, "Unless you don't believe in God, then I guess it's not Christmas for you."

Hooks grinned, "I'm Lutheran."

"Yeah?" Talia asked, "I don't know what I am, I just know I believe in Him."

The screams became louder and more frequent. Talia put a hand on Hooks' shoulder, "I promise they're really not trying to hurt him."

"Beck, I see you've met my daughter Talia." Ra's said, striding down the hall, this time in a tan suit.

Hooks jumped at his voice, she hadn't even known he was there, "Yes, sir. She's very lovely, managed to calm me down a bit."

"Well, you've been sitting in that spot since you got here." Ra's said, motioning to the two trays that used to hold food next to her, "Perhaps Talia should show you to your room."

Talia nodded, rising to her feet and holding out a hand, "Come, you'll love the bed!"

Hooks shook her head, "I'm not leaving him."

Ra's looked at her sympathetically, "I think it would be wise for him to cope with things before he sees you."

"Cope with things?" Hooks asked.

"There are some things that are going to be different about him now, things that he's going to have to live with. He won't be the same man that he was in the prison." Ra's explained, "And I think it better for him to have some time alone to get used to it."

"What did you do to him?" Hooks asked, not able to hide the slight hostility in her voice.

But Ra's sympathy never left his face as he said, "Everything that we needed to do to save him."

Hooks looked back to the door, where the screams still came from, but something about Ra's words was true. Bane did need time to cope, if not for whatever they did to him, then for Mace's death. She knew he was devastated at the loss of his friend.

"Okay," Hooks said looking to Talia, "this bed better be pretty damn amazing."

"It is." Talia assured with a laugh.

She followed the small woman through a series of halls, twists and turns threatened to make Hooks dizzy. They entered a small building through a skywalk. In the main room, plush white couches sat around a glass coffee table, a large flat screen TV built into the stone wall facing them. A large chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow about the room. The walls were painted a cream color, besides the one made of stone. Pictures of various people hung on them, their eyes seemingly following Hooks as she followed Talia through the room.

They entered a small hallway, and then took a turn into a larger one, "This is where all of my father's guests sleep. It is where you will sleep until you become one of the League of Shadows."

"What about Bane?" Hooks asked, "Where will he sleep?"

"In the room across from yours." Talia said, "We figured we probably shouldn't separate you two too much."

Hooks nodded, feeling better about the sleeping arrangements. Finally Talia stopped in front of a deep mahogany door, "This is your room."

Hooks pushed open the door and stepped inside. The carpet was white under her feet, a crimson rug lay underneath a white couch and chair opposite each other. In the far corner, a bed sat against the wall, its comforter also a deep red color. The walls were a rich chocolate colored brown, and a chandelier similar to the one in the main room hung from her ceiling.

"This is lovely." Hooks said, falling back on the bed. She sighed, "You're right, this bed is pretty fricking amazing."

Talia smiled, "You should get some rest, I'll get you when supper is ready. Oh, I almost forgot!" she said, right as she was about to close the door, "I'll be right back."

The slender brown haired woman disappeared, and didn't come back for a while, making Hooks think she got lost in her own place. Hooks knew she would even if she owned the place. Talia suddenly appeared at her door once again, "Here are some pajamas, and some regular clothes. Most of your time spent here will be wearing the League of Shadows clothes, but having some regular ones doesn't hurt anything. We appeared to be the same size, so those are my clothes for now. My father will probably send someone out at a later time to get you some of your own."

"Thank you, Talia." Hooks said, "Is there a shower?"

Talia smiled, "Right in there." She pointed to another door on Hook's left, one she hadn't seen coming in. Hooks opened it, revealing a bathroom, "You guys have bathrooms in your own room?"

"A lot of people do." Talia said.

"Wow." Hooks said, wondering what else the rich and annoying might have. Hooks had never been rich, she hardly had any money to her name. Her parents had been in the lower half of the middle class, never really having much money for luxuries. Their small two bedroom house had only one bathroom that they all shared. It wasn't bad, she could have had worse, but when two kids of the opposite gender have to get ready in the morning it can be a hassle. Or better, it _was_ a hassle. Bobby was dead now, killed in the same car crash that killed her parents.

Hooks took the pajamas Talia had given her. They consisted of a long shirt that had Aaron Rodgers on it, and green and yellow checkered sweat pants with Packer helmets on them. Hooks smiled, she had loved football once, when she still had the time to sit down and watch it in peace.

She finally figured out how to work the shower, and slipped into it, letting the hot water cascade down her body. She hadn't really known how dirty she was, until she looked down at the brown water rinsing into the drain.

Her hair was in matted clumps, barely reaching to her shoulders. She vaguely thanked Bane for cutting it when he did. It had saved her the painstaking process of brushing out all the snarls. That didn't mean it going to stop her from growing it back out. She liked it long.

Her mind drifted back to Bane. His screams had been so heartbreaking, all she wanted to do was crawl in a hole. They had made her heart leap, her pulse quicken. At first she had been afraid, staring at the door with wide eyes, feeling herself slide down the wall in front of it. As time wore on, she got angry, and then anger turned to sadness. She was barely able to keep from crying when Talia had come.

She wondered how long it would be before she got to see Bane. She hoped it wasn't too long, she didn't want to be away from him now that she knew he was alive. It had been the most horrible feeling she'd felt when she thought he was dead, and now that he was alive, all she wanted to do was hold him. Feel his heart beating. Repay him for all the times he had comforted her.

Finally, with her hair settled, Hooks stepped out of the shower and dried off. She looked at herself in the mirror and grimaced. She looked like a skeleton, like a prisoner in the holocaust. Her face was sunken in, deep purple bags under her eyes, standing out in contrast to her pale face. Her arms were still muscular looking, but the joint in her elbows stuck out, along with those of her knees. Her ribs were what was worst. She could see each individual one, and her stomach caved in like a bowl. Cuts and dark bruises from the fight littered her body.

Hooks turned away, not wanting to look at herself anymore. She dressed in Talia's pajamas and jumped in the luxurious bed. It was way to soft for its good. She slipped under the blankets and suddenly was met with the sight of a flat screen in her room too. On the bedside table next to hers was a remote. She clicked on the TV, scrolling through the channels. They must have had thousands of channels out here, and they were American. Hooks settled on the history channel, where they were showing Band of Brothers. Of course it had to be the episode _Why we Fight_ with the concentration camp in it. She would have been the ideal actress.

A while later, Ra's knocked on her door, "May I come in?"

Hooks muted the TV and said, "Of course."

Ra's entered, holding a tray of food, "I figured you could use some rest, so I brought supper to you."

"Thank you." Hooks said politely, and watched as he set the tray down in front of her. She dove in, tearing off the meet on her chicken.

"Bane's operation was successful." Ra's said sitting on the edge of her bed, "He is currently sedated, but will wake in the next hour. I will let you visit him tomorrow, and then your training will begin."

Hooks nodded, "Thank you."

Ra's gave her a smile and patted her leg, before exiting the room. Sometime after she had finished her food, Hooks fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning she woke at ten o'clock, surprising herself. She had never slept that late before. She jumped out of bed, brushed her teeth with the packaged toothbrush sitting on the sink, and crept into the hall. Laughter rang out from the main room, relieving Hooks. She hadn't wanted to wake anyone.

Three men in black athletic clothes were all watching a cartoon. She couldn't place which one it was, but when she entered the room, all eyes found her. She walked over to an area that looked suspiciously like a kitchen, and started opening the cupboards. After a moment of scouring, she found some cereal.

Hooks poured the cereal and milk into a bowl and chowed away. She was so engrossed in eating, she hadn't known Talia was next to her until she said, "Hungry?"

"Yes." Hooks said, mouth full of food.

"Well, my father sent me to get you." Talia said, "Bane's asking for you."

"You mean that guy that they carried in on the stretcher last night?" one of the guys sitting on the couch asked.

"Yeah, that guy." Talia said.

"Dude, he was _huge_! It didn't even look like he hardly hit that doctor, and he knocked him out. I'd hate to see what he can do with a full punch." He said.

"No kidding! Ra's said he would be training with us. I'd hate to be the guy that gets stuck with him." Another man said.

"Ra's said she's training with us too." A bigger guy said. He was thick with muscle, although he would pale in comparison to Bane.

"_Really_?" the first guy asked.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." The muscle guy said.

"Shut it Ty." Talia said, glaring at him.

"Oh come, Talia," Ty said, "even you must be thinking that your father made a mistake this time."

"Hey, yeah, it's not like I'm in the room or anything!" Hooks said angrily, "And I could totally take you." She said to Ty.

The big man's eyebrows rose and he laughed, "Oh really, how about we have a little competition right here, right now."

"Fine," Hooks said, "arm wrestling."

Ty grinned, looking at the other guys, "Fine then."

He came up on the other side of the counter, and the other two-James and Cole-came up to watch. Ty nodded to Talia, once his hand was firmly gripped by Hooks'. Talia rolled her eyes saying, "Go."

Ty's hand smacked the counter within the first five seconds. Hooks looked at him smugly, "Who made the mistake?"

James and Cole started laughing, making Ty's face turn crimson. He stormed away muttering something under his breath. Talia shook her head, "Let's go."

They made their way back to the hospital wing, and to Bane's new room. Talia patted her shoulder, showing her the door. Hooks took a deep breath, and opened it.

It was pitch black inside, the only light coming from the cracks in the blinds opposite the door. Hooks entered slowly, "Bane?"

There was a slow ominous sound coming from the far right corner of the room. It was like breathing, only muffled and somewhat…mechanical. She frowned following the noise. Bane was there, standing in front of a mirror. She could only see his large frame, the blackness not allowing her to see anything else, "Bane?"

His hand found hers, cold and stiff, "They told me it was a part of me now."

"What was?" she asked.

He leaned over and flipped the light switch next to his bed. Hooks blinked a few times to get her sight adjusted to the light. She looked up and barely managed to hold in a gasp. His face was covered by a large mask. It had tubes that looked spiderlike, giving him an ominous appearance. It was held on by a band that went over the top of his head, and back down over his ears. His soft brown hair had been shaved, leaving him bald.

"It's not…bad." Hooks said, but she couldn't hide the shock in her voice.

He closed his eyes, looking away from her. She grabbed his arm, and turned him to face her, "You may look different now, but that doesn't mean anything."

"I can see your disappointment." He said quietly.

"My disappointment?" Hooks asked, "You think I'm disappointed? Of what?"

"The mask." He said.

"Bane," Hooks said, gently taking his face in her hands, "you're alive, how could I be disappointed in a mask. I don't care that you have it, all I care about is that you're alive. I thought you were dead."

"So did I." he said.

"If the mask is a part of you now, then I accept it. I'll accept it in a heartbeat." She said, "What is it for anyway."

"The doctors were able to fix my face. They realigned the bone and stitched up the skin. They had to use some from my hip, but all in all, my face is as normal as it can get now." He showed her the bandage on his right hip where they took skin grafts from, "But they said the pain would never stop, so they gave me the mask. It has a serum that will keep me from feeling the pain."

"What is the serum?" Hooks asked.

"They called it venom." Bane said, his voice muffled.

Hooks wrapped her arms around his waist, being careful to avoid his hip, "We're going to be okay."

She knew it was coming, knew he was going ask, knew he was going to blame himself, "Mace is dead."

Hooks looked up at him, "Don't do this to yourself."

"I was the one that pushed him." Bane said, "I couldn't protect him."

"You can't protect everyone, Bane. You're only one person." Hooks said.

"I threw him away." Bane closed his eyes.

"If it's anyone's fault it's mine." Hooks said, "I was the one they were after, not Mace."

His arms tightened around her, "No."

"It's the truth," Hooks said, "but if it will make things better, then it's both our fault he's dead. Not just yours, and not just mine."

Ra's came in sometime later, announcing that Hooks had to leave to start her training. As she left, she couldn't help but notice that the mask wasn't the only thing that had changed on Bane. His eyes were different, no longer holding his every emotion. They were dark, almost cunning. Ra's had been right, he was no longer the man he was in the pit. Part of him had died down there, the happy joyful side. All that was left, was the anger and hate.

_**Ugh, sorry for the length on this puppy. I just didn't want to separate it up! I know Bane is still kind of soft in this one, but he'll start becoming more and more aggressive as training progresses. Also, Talia sounds really nice too. She's not though, she's a major bitch in this story, I almost hate her myself, and I'm the one writing it! But every good story has to have someone you love to hate! Talia…well, she'll have a lot of haters. **_

_** Oh, and yes the Green Bay Packers have made an appearance in this story! I like to incorporate them in every story I do, because those guys are beasts! September 9**__**th**__** is their first game, and let me tell you, I will be screaming at my TV. **_

_** So, yesterday, I was in my kitchen when a commercial for the Dark Knight Rises came on, and they showed the part where Bane was in the plane and he jumped onto those seats when it was flipped vertically. I practically dove into my living room. There was a lot of screaming and jumping up and down going on too. The tight black shirt that he wears in the beginning makes him looks so sexy! **_

_** Also, sorry if there are any errors in this one, I didn't have time to proof it! And I'm terribly sad to say, that this will be the last chapter up until Monday! :'( **_

_** So, read, review, do what you want! :D**_


	9. Chapter 9

"Fight with your mind, not your strength." Ra's said.

Bane glared at him, "How are you supposed to fight with your mind?"

Ra's feigned a punch right, then left, and struck out with his right foot, catching Bane by surprise and knocking him to the floor. Ra's straightened and said, "Think about your attack."

"I am."

"Bane, you are used to fighting the men in the prison. All they knew was brute strength, and that's all you know. The people that the League, and eventually you, will have to face don't rely on their strength. They're trained to harness their power and strike with precision. You need to open your senses, only then will you be able to fight me." Ra's said, "Take Beck for example."

They both turned to look at Hooks, who was beating a training League member senseless. "You see how she doesn't use bulky moves and strength to defeat him? Watch her movements, see how fluid and easy they are?" Hooks ducked under the man's arm, catching it while she did, and twisted it behind his back. She kicked the back of his right knee, forcing him down, and said, "Yield?" the man nodded, and she released him. Smiling she looked at Ra's and Bane who were still watching. She looked away and then back at them, "What?"

Ra's smiled, "Keep practicing."

Hooks smiled, "Will do! How you doing Bane?"

Neither Bane nor Ra's acknowledged her question.

Suddenly, the lights in the room shut off. Bane looked around in confusion before he heard Ra's voice, "You were raised in the prison, in the darkness." It seemed to be coming from everywhere, "Perhaps the dark will help you."

He felt a sharp blow to his head, and lashed out behind him, but there was nothing there. Another punch to his stomach left him doubled over, gasping. There was a sharp pain in his arm, and hot sticky blood started running from the cut.

"Open your senses." Ra's said again, "Listen."

Bane closed his eyes, and silenced his breathing. He heard the faint sound of rushing air, and turned to block the punch he knew was coming. He pushed the descending arm away, and punched whoever was attacking him in the chest. He grabbed them by the throat, and slammed his knee into their side, dropping them. The lights snapped on, and a man in black clothing grasping a sword lay at Bane's feet. Ra's emerged from a corner in the room and said, "Well done, you're learning. Now, I will call my daughter Talia to stitch up that wound."

Bane looked at his arm. The cut was deeper than he thought it would be, and yet he felt no pain. He was starting to like the mask. Bane sat down on a bench, toweling off the sweat on his face. Ra's had left to go get the woman named Talia. When he returned, a slender woman with short brown hair accompanied him. She saw him, and her lips twitched up, almost in a smile.

"Talia, this is Bane. He has begun training to be a League of Shadows member." Ra's said, "Bane, this is my daughter, Talia. She's here on vacation."

"Nice to meet you." Talia said.

"And you." Bane nodded to her.

"Talia, I need you to stitch up his arm. Neeyo got kind of excited with the sword today." Ra's said, motioning toward the fallen League member.

Talia looked impressed, "He did that to Neeyo?"

"In the dark."

"Well, let's get your arm checked out." Talia said, leading him to a room a little ways down from the training room. She sat him down on a bed, and took some supplies out from a cupboard.

"Are you a doctor?" he asked.

A small smile found her lips as she said, "No, but my father always sends the men to me when I'm here. Apparently I'm an excellent stitcher."

He watched as she gently poked the needle through his skin and pulled the two pieces together. She looked up, "Doesn't that hurt?"

"No, the venom in my mask prevents all pain from entering my body." Bane said.

"I didn't know they could make such a thing." Talia said, focusing back on the stitching.

"Neither did I."

"I watched you training the other day." She said, "You looked pretty good out there. Better than some of the ones training in."

"Thank you, but I have a long ways to go." Bane said.

"You know, when we're finished here, do you want to go get something to eat?" Talia asked nonchalantly.

"Oh, I've already promised Hooks I would." Bane said.

"Oh, her." Talia said bitterly.

"Do you not like her?"

"Oh no, I get along with her." Talia said, "But she didn't really look like she cared a lot about you when they brought you in."

Bane frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Well, if I were her, I would have sat _right _across from your surgery room until I was forced to leave. But her," Talia screwed up her face, "she went right to her luxury room and took a shower, and watched some TV. It didn't really look a lot like she cared."

"She told me she hadn't left the hallway to my room until Ra's made her." Bane said.

"Is that what she told you?" Talia asked, "Because if I'm not mistaken, I even saw her with one of the other men training in the League. That's why it came as a shock to me when my father said you two came together."

Something about her words wasn't right. Hooks had never lied to him in all the time that he knew her. Bane shook his head, "No, I know Hooks, she wouldn't do that."

"Bane," Talia said, "you were in prison together for a year. Prison. Where liars and thieves and murderers go. Do you really know her?"

"Better than I know you."

"I'm just looking out for you." She said, tugging the string she was stitching with to cut it off.

"Well, I don't need you to." He said curtly and walked out of the room. He went back to the training room to see if Hooks was still there, but the men working out said she had went back to her room. He had finally been able to move into his, right across the hall from her, but had still been unable to train. Her days of training had worn her down, left her exhausted. So they hardly had spoken a word to each other in the two months they'd been there.

He stopped at her door and knocked. He heard her shout, "Come in!" and entered. She sat with her knuckles in a bowl of ice, reading a book. Her face lit up when she saw him, "Bane!" she jumped off the bed and into his arms, "How have you been?"

"Good." He said, pulling her hands up to examine them. They were a dark purple, some of them split open, "That doesn't look good."

"Ra's is ruthless." She said, but smiled anyway, "I love it!"

"You love having your knuckles this way?"

"It makes me look tough."

He rolled his eyes, "Only you would be happy your knuckles are almost broken."

"Hey Hooks, do you want to participate in the Tippy Cup tournament-oh!" a man stopped in the doorway to her room, "Sorry if I interrupted something."

"Hi Cole." Hooks said, "I think the reigning champ of Tippy Cup needs to sit this one out."

Cole gave her a crooked smile, "To much to handle?" but he left the room before she could get another word in.

"He's a doof!" she said.

Bane sat her down on the bed and took some bandages out of the first aid kit in the top drawer of her bedside table. He gently bandaged them, and then sat next to her on the bed, "What are you reading?"

"The Godfather." Hooks said.

He pulled her into his chest, and fell asleep sometime later. But before he did, he couldn't help but replay Talia's words. He couldn't help but think of the brown haired woman who had tended to his wound.

_** Alright, so, this chapter to me was a little disappointing and I'm sorry. But it was a filler that had to be done and hopefully it can pick up from here. I'm sorry for the wait too! **_

_** So now, Talia is starting to show her true colors. Mehe, I already hate her! She'll continue her evil little ways throughout the story. **_

_** Again, I apologize for this chapter and especially after the wait. As you might have noticed, I don't update on the weekends, and I had an eventful Friday afternoon! :D Hopefully I can make it better tomorrow, or whenever I update next! So for now, read, review, do what you like! :D**_


	10. Chapter 10

"Beck!"

Hooks was on the top of the uneven bars, doing a handstand and splits in midair, when Ra's called her name. She craned her neck to look up and said, "Sir?"

"Come down here for a moment." Ra's said, gesturing to her with his hand.

She swung gracefully to the floor, making sure to stick her landing. She walked over to Ra's, dusting the chalk off of her hands, "You called?"

He nodded, "I wanted to let you know something."

"Okay."

"With some major persuading, Talia has gotten me to let her start training to be in the League of Shadows." Ra's said, "I wanted to know if you'd be interested keeping an eye on her when I'm not teaching her, you know how rough the men can get."

"I do." Hooks said nodding, her mind wandering back to the bruise on her hip Cole had given her.

"So?" Ra's asked, "Can I count on you?"

"Sure thing, sir." Hooks said.

"Good. Oh, and another thing!" Ra's said, "I know today I was supposed to train with you, but being that she is starting now, I was wondering if we could move our session."

"Oh," Hooks said, feeling a little disappointed, "of course, sir. Talia needs the time. Just let me know when you can train with me next."

"Thank you for understanding, Beck." Ra's said.

Hooks nodded, turning back to the uneven bars. She gripped her chin, still not able to make complete swings from one bar to the other without falling.

"You know," she heard a voice next to her say, "if you stare at that any harder it's going to start on fire."

She grinned, turning to her friend Cole. He was dressed in a tight black shirt that showed off his muscles along with black pants that had way too many pockets for his own good. His brown hair was, as usual, messy. She couldn't deny that he was handsome, one of the most handsome men she'd ever met, but every time that thought flickered in her mind, Bane's face flashed before her. No matter how handsome, no one could waver her feelings for Bane.

"I hate them." She said, motioning toward the bars.

"Why?"

"I can't swing from one bar to the other. I can do fancy tricks," Hooks said, "but I can't go to the other one!"

"It can't be that hard." Cole said.

"Then you try!"

He grinned and rubbed the back of his head, "I'm not really the elegant type."

"I realized that when you tripped over a ball."

"In my defense," Cole said, holding up a finger, "I kicked it, but my foot accidentally went over the top of it, and when I tried to step down, I slipped."

"And got the wind knocked out of you." She said, and then in a mocking voice, "Hooks…I can't…breathe."

He shoved her, "We won't speak of that around anyone."

"You're just lucky we were the only ones in the room."

They both laughed. She looked up to the track above them, where several men were jogging. Bane was standing and watching them, and from the way his eyes looked, he was frowning under the mask. She waved to him, but he just stared back.

Cole moved so that his back was facing Bane, "He creeps me out."

"Who, Bane?" Hooks asked, "Why?"

"It might have something to do with the mask." Cole said, motioning to his face, "But the guy's already stronger than anyone I know. He could probably even take Ra's. I was watching him with the punching bag, and you know how you're usually pretty sore after dealing with those things, right?" Hooks nodded, rubbing her knuckles. "Well, I'm pretty sure the punching bag was crying by the time Bane was done with it."

"Weird, he's not usually a violent guy." Hooks said.

Cole arched an eyebrow, "He sent a guy to the infirmary with a collapsed lung and a broken collarbone yesterday. I talked to the doctor, and he said the guy's most likely going to have brain damage."

"Jesus, really?" Hooks asked, "That's not the Bane I know."

"Well then I really wish I knew the Bane that you do, because I don't want to be the next guy he sends to the hospital." Cole said, "He's already giving me glares of death."

"Why?"

"I don't know! That's why I'm doing my best to avoid him!"

"I'll talk to him." Hooks said.

"No! No, don't do that!" Cole said, taking her by the shoulders, "I don't want to look like a wimp, and I really don't want to make it look like I'm going around talking about him."

Hooks chewed her bottom lip, "Well, if he gives you any trouble tell me about it. I don't know why he's acting like this, it's not like him."

"Maybe he's just angry and confused." Cole said, "I know I would be if I had to wear that mask all the time!"

"What's wrong with the mask?" Bane's voice asked from behind him.

Both Cole and Hooks jumped, not noticing his approach. Cole's eyes widened and he turned to face him, "Nothing, it's beautiful!" Cole said, "I mean, it suits you a lot!" he cringed, "Not that I'm calling you beautiful." He shrunk down, "A-and not that I'm calling you ugly either!"

"Be quiet." Bane said.

"O-okay." Cole said, silencing.

"What's up?" Hooks asked Bane.

Bane pointed to the middle of the room, where Ra's and Talia were training, "What's _she _doing?" Hooks shrugged, "Oh, Talia's just training to be a League member." She didn't miss the curious tone in his voice, the appraising look in his eyes.

"When did that happen?" he asked.

"About ten minutes ago."

Bane shook his head, "He's given you the day off?"

"Yeah, but I was just going to try and defeat the uneven bars." Hooks said, "Then it's on to the saw horse!"

"Good luck with that." Cole muttered, grinning.

Bane turned a glare on him, making the younger man look away, "Then I'll see you around." Without another word, Bane walked out of the training room.

"What's his deal?" Hooks wondered out loud.

"I don't know, but for a second I thought I was going to get my ass kicked." Cole said, rubbing his rear.

Hooks rolled her eyes, bumping shoulders with him, "I would've saved you."

"Sure, sure." Cole said, "Hey listen, Ra's told me to tell everyone that tomorrow he needs to speak with us. So when you get here, don't take any equipment out, just wait for him to get here."

"Okay, thanks Cole." She said, watching him walk away. She turned to watch Talia and Ra's. To Hooks' surprise, it didn't really look like Talia needed much training. She was blocking punches, throwing some of her own, and maneuvering her way out of some. A realization struck Hooks; Talia had probably been trained in some way to defend herself before. After all, Ra's was her father. It kind of made Hooks a little angry that she had to skip her lesson for Talia, who obviously had trained with Ra's before.

Whatever the case, the uneven bars still stood unconquered in front of her. Hooks sighed, dipping her hands in the chalk. She leapt up onto the smaller bar and swung to grab hold of the higher one. She hoisted herself up to do a handstand, and stayed like that, concentrating. She exhaled and swung with all her might, trying to hook her legs around the lower bar. She failed miserably, and landed hitting the back of her neck hard on the ground, the rest of her weight crashing down on her. Hooks groaned, rolling onto her right side. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Gavin, another man training to be a League member.

"Hooks, for Christ's sake are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah." Hooks said, sitting up, "I'm fine, it looked worse than it really was."

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to defeat the uneven bars." She groaned, rubbing the back of her neck, where she hit the floor. She knew she was going to be feeling that in the morning.

"Well, I think you should try defeating them another day." Gavin said, "That didn't look like it felt too good."

"It didn't."

He cracked a grin, "Well, Cujo, I'd go get some ice for your neck. That'll make it less sore in the morning."

"Thanks Doc." She said, remembering he was also in training to be the go-to guy for injuries on a mission.

"No problem." He said, pulling her to her feet.

She slowly left the room, entering the hall with a woozy feeling. She had a sudden episode of nausea, in which she had to sit down to avoid the overwhelming urge to throw up everything in her stomach. She really hadn't thought it was that bad of a fall.

"Hooks?"

Bane appeared, kneeling down in front of her with worried eyes, "Are you okay?"

"The uneven bars defeated me again." she said.

"Can you walk?"

"I could, but I might throw up if I do." she said.

Bane gently put an arm under her arms and knees, hoisting her up into his arms. She smiled, "This really isn't necessary."

"I didn't want you to throw up all over me if I helped you walk." Bane said, "So I decided to carry you."

"So what's the deal with you hating Cole?" she asked.

He arched an eyebrow, "What makes you think that?"

"He said you were shooting him a death-glare."

His eyes crinkled, letting her know he was smiling, "I don't know, I guess it's the natural instinct you get sometimes."

"Natural instinct?"

"When you hate someone for no reason."

"Oh yeah, I get that all the time."

Finally he turned into a room and said a few things to a man in a white coat, who Hooks presumed was the doctor. He laid her on a bed and the doctor said, "So, Hooks, what happened?"

"Well, I was trying to swing to the lower uneven bar, but I missed and landed on the back of my neck. I know it's not broken, but it hurt like hell. Gavin told me to get some ice."

The doctor nodded, "Gavin was correct, but I'm going to check a few things to make sure you neck is indeed not broken."

"Okay." Hooks said, "Mind if I fall asleep?"

She didn't give the doctor the chance to say yes or no.

_** Alright, so, I'm very sorry for the delay in updates! For some weird reason, I've been horribly tired lately! Buuuut, I think I'll be back up and running! If there are any delays, it's because I'm updating my other stories, too. I'm back into my WWII kick, so I'll update my Band of Brothers story pretty often now. I really hope one of you guys has seen that series, it's so good! And The Pacific is pretty awesome too, but it can't beat Band of Brothers for me! **_

_** Also, I've dedicated a small portion of this chapter to myself! When Cole and Hooks are talking about how he tripped over a ball….well, I really did! :D We were playing kick-ball at a family reunion, and I missed the ball when I went to kick it, and I stepped on it, fell on my face, and got the wind kicked out of me! It definitely wasn't a proud moment, but now I'm not afraid to tell the story! **_

_** And I promise PROMISE the next couple chapters will hopefully be good ones! Talia does some bitch magic now that she's training, and gets daddy-o to pull some strings for her. I know, I know, kind of uncharacteristic of Ra's, but…this is my story gosh dang, and I will do what I want! -Dramatic moment, not meant seriously. **_

_** So keep up with the reviews! I love you all! OH! And if you guys haven't discovered it yet…read Bane's Lullaby by Narrie! OHMYGOSH I love it soooo much! I don't know if you're reading this story, Narrie, but YOU my friend, have an excellent story that I'm in love with! So if ya'll haven't read it yet, GO READ IT! **_

_** Anyway, as I said before, I love you guys. I'm really sorry for such a long note, but I love talking to you. Read, review, do what you want! :D **_


	11. Chapter 11

Hooks snapped awake, looking around in alarm. She sat up straight, and sighed in relief. Another nightmare from the pit had plagued her sleep. She heard a noise in the corner of the room, a soft shuffle. She drug her gaze to it, but it was shrouded in shadows. Hooks frowned, "Who's there?"

Another ruffling sound came from the corner, and suddenly Mace's figure stepped out of the shadows. Hooks gasped, seeing his perfectly normal face. Mace was untouched, and for the most part, healthy looking. She rubbed her eyes and looked again but he was still there, staring at her, unmoving.

She shook her head, knowing he was dead. She had seen his body, "Mace?"

He said nothing, only extended a hand, pointing a finger at her. For some unknown reason, this disturbed Hooks, made her stomach twist in fear. Mace took a careful step forward, his body momentarily shrouded in shadows, and when he came back into the light his face was bloody. In some places, there was no skin, and where there was it was black and rotted. She watched in horror as he came nearer, leaving a trail of blood behind him on the floor. She pulled the blankets of the hospital bed up to her chin. "You," he said, voice raspy and terrifying, "you did this."

"No," she said, shaking her head, "I didn't, I swear Mace. I never wanted this to happen."

He was suddenly at the side of her bed, his face inches from hers, "You'll pay." His hand was suddenly around her throat, pushing her down into the bed.

She didn't realize she was screaming, until Bane burst into the room, "Hooks?"

When she looked up, Mace was gone. Tears spilled from her eyes as Bane sat down on the bed next to her, "Hooks what's wrong?"

She looked back to the corner, which was now illuminated by the light outside in the hall. There was nothing there. She looked down to the floor, but the trail of blood was gone, too. She realized she had imagined it.

Hooks sat up again, scooting closer to Bane, "I thought I saw something."

"Like what?" he asked.

She just shook her head, "It's not important." She didn't want to bring up Mace around him anymore. It was one of those things you didn't talk to Bane about in less you wanted to get pummeled.

From the look in his eyes, she knew he was frowning, but didn't press her for answers to his questions. She loved that about him.

Talia poked her head into the room, "Is she okay?"

Bane nodded, "Talia and I were talking when you started screaming."

Hooks narrowed her eyes at Talia, "Outside of my room?"

"He hadn't gone ten feet from your door the entire night." Talia said, glancing at Bane. Hooks noticed something in Bane's eyes, and then looked back to Talia. Something had been said between them in that one glance.

"What time is it?" Hooks asked.

"Almost five thirty." Talia said.

"Shit!" Hooks said, hopping up, "Ra's is talking to us about something today!"

"Which is why I brought your training clothes." Talia said, "Bane told me you might need them, so I got some for you." She tossed a lime green and black sports bra with black shorts onto her bed. Hooks looked at her grateful, "Thank you."

"Well, I'll leave you to change then." Bane said, standing. He then guided Talia out of the room.

Hooks' gaze lingered on the door for a moment before she started changing. Since when had they become good friends? She also took notice that Bane hadn't bothered to comfort her when she was crying. Normally, he would have. When they were in the pit, he did.

She shook her head, deciding she was being too dramatic. Bane had been there for her after all.

Outside, she found that Bane and Talia were gone. She shrugged, trudging to the training room a little ways down the hall and to the right. Inside, there were only three guys sitting and stretching. Two of them were talking about sports, while a lone figure sat off to the side, his back to the door. Hooks knew from the tight yellow under armor shirt, it was Cole. She smiled, and took a seat next to him, "Hiya Cole."

"Well hey, she lives!" he said, smiling.

"Did you think those stupid bars were going to kill me? No way." She said, spreading her legs and stretching to touch one toe. It was a simple stretch really, but it made her legs feel so good when she was done.

"So what do you think Ra's is going to talk about today?" he asked.

"Initiation?" she suggested.

"Nah, not yet." He said, shaking his head, "I really don't know. I've been thinking about it all day. The only thing I could think of was partners."

"Partners?"

"Yeah, like mission partners. Who would go with who on missions and such." Cole said.

"Oh." Hooks said, switching legs.

"So how's your neck?" he asked.

"It's still pretty stiff, but I'll be fine." Hooks said, "Unless Ra's decides to train with me today. He made me miss yesterday's for Talia."

"Yeah, I saw that." Cole said, "The first thing she did when she got out of here was head down to your room to find Bane."

Hooks frowned, "For what?"

"I don't know, I think she likes him." Cole said, "He doesn't seem to mind talking to her, although he does look pretty annoyed when he does."

"Bane and Talia were talking?" she asked, her interest mildly aroused.

"Oh yeah, they talk all the time." He said, then his face got red, "I don't mean to be a snitch, that's really not what I'm trying to do."

Hooks smiled, "Don't worry, Cole. Bane can talk to whoever he wants to. I'm not a psycho who will forbid him from speaking to the female race."

"It just kind of pisses me off that she's training now, you know?" Cole said, "I mean, I don't have a problem with her, it's just…you start training, so does she." He shrugged, "I don't know, maybe she just wants to impress Ra's."

"Maybe." Hooks said.

As the clock neared six o'clock, more people started filing in. Cole left last minute to use the bathroom, and so when they stood in formation, there was a spot next to her left empty. He finally slipped in the door and stood next to her, "Hey Hooks, what's hangin'?"

"Hey Cole." She said grinning.

Bane entered the room, followed by Talia and two other men. One of them passed Hooks and Cole. "Hey Dick." Cole said, then whispered to Hooks, "That's what's hangin'." and winked. Hooks couldn't suppress her giggles.

Bane took up his position behind Hooks, and put a hand on her shoulder, something he always did when they were in formation to let her know he was there.

At exactly six o'clock, Ra's al Ghul entered the room. The relaxed stances and postures of the men snapped to crisp attention as he came through the door. Their faces were blank, their hands behind their backs.

Ra's faced them smiling, "Relax."

They broke out in small smiles and slumped their shoulders to fit a more relaxed stance.

"Please," Ra's said, "sit." Hooks looked at Cole, and followed everyone else's lead and sat down. "Now," Ra's said, "I know you all must be wondering what this is about."

There were nods from the men.

"Today, I will be putting you into pairs." Ra's said. Cole looked to Hooks with an, 'I told you so' look. "What are these pairs for?" Ra's asked, "For a survival test. You will each be paired with one other person and sent out to remote parts of the world. You will be given only the essential needs to survive. Once at your location, you will be forced to live for a week on nothing but the nature. You will be forced to find your own food, your own water, and your own shelters. Now, this may sound like a walk in the park, but I guarantee, some of you will not make it back."

There were looks shared around the room that said otherwise. Ra's seemed to notice this and said, "You will see once you get there. Now I'm sure you're all wondering who you got paired up with." Ra's said, holding up a clipboard, "Alright, James and Broderick."

"Alright!" Hooks heard someone exclaim behind her, followed with a high five.

She looked back and smiled at Bane, knowing Ra's would have paired her with him. His eyes crinkled as he smiled under the mask. Ra's preceded down the list calling out names.

"Dick and Harry."

Cole snorted beside her. Hooks looked over to see Dick slap the back of someone's head, both of them smiling.

"Cole and Beck."

Hooks snapped her head back to look at Ra's in shock. His gaze lingered on hers for a moment before he called out the next pair. Cole also looked shocked but he bumped her shoulder. She smiled half heartedly at him, before turning back to look at Bane. His eyebrows were furrowed, and she knew he was frowning.

"And Bane and Talia." Ra's finished.

Hooks was pretty sure her stomach was on the floor. It was bad enough he hadn't paired her and Bane, but to pair him with Talia?

"Bane!" Talia exclaimed, "We're together!"

Hooks felt a glare coming on, and looked at the wall. Talia hadn't really ever given her a reason to hate her, but at that moment, she really felt like punching her so hard even Ra's wouldn't recognize her.

"Everyone!" Ra's called, sending the excited chatter into silence, "I suggest you get with your partners today to talk things over. You will be given your supplies and location tonight, and you will be leaving tomorrow. So I want everyone asleep in one of your rooms."

The sudden announcement took Hooks by surprise, but she figured that's what some mission might be like. Some missions would just be last minute.

Hooks had told Cole she would be at his room in a moment, and waited until everyone was cleared out of the room before she approached Ra's.

"Sir," she started.

"Yes, Beck?" he asked, but from the look on his face, he already knew what she was going to say.

"Sir, why wasn't I paired with Bane?"

"It was brought to my attention, that perhaps you two should be split up. I want to see how you interact with others in the field." Ra's said.

"So you paired him with Talia?" she asked, knowing she should be careful of the tone and words she chose.

Instead of the look of anger that she thought would flash through his eyes, he looked kind of sheepish, "She asked me to."

And at that moment, she knew one thing was certain. She hated Talia. Cole had told her about Talia's constant bothering of Bane, and now this? Hooks knew, then, that Talia's plan was simple. Win over Bane.

Hooks left and headed over to Cole's room, still seething. She knocked, and heard him call, "Come on in, I'm not naked!"

She rolled her eyes, but smiled, pushing the door open, putting her anger on hold. He was laying on the bed in nothing but black sweatpants, his hair tousled and wet.

"Did you take a shower?" she asked, smelling a sweet manly soap smell.

"Yeah." He said.

"That was fast."

He grinned, "I didn't really know how long you'd be, so I decided to hop in." his face turned serious, "Hooks, if you're mad that we're paired up and not you and Bane, just say so. I could probably put in a good word to Ra's."

She suddenly felt guilty. After all, she was happy that she was paired with him if she couldn't be with Bane. Hooks shook her head, "No, Cole! I'm happy I'm with you, I mean, you're a doctor, you can save me right?"

"Yeah," he said seriousness gone, "if I feel like it."

"So I got the floor tonight or what?" Hooks asked.

"Oh no, I'm actually quite the gentleman." Cole said, standing, "I'll take the couch over there, you can have the bed."

A sudden squawking noise nearly sent Hooks into the roof, "Jennifer? Raaaa, Jennifer?"

Cole slapped his forehead, rushing to the corner of his room where a bright red parrot sat, "No, Slim, this is Hooks."

"Raaaa, sexy Hooks?"

Cole's face turned red, "No, regular Hooks."

Hooks smiled and bit her lip from laughing, "So you know more than one Hooks?"

"Uh, yeah." Cole said.

"Raaaa sexy Hooks, sexy Hooks." The bird said, flapping its wings.

This time Hooks did laugh, sitting down on Cole's bed. Cole looked at her like a boy who'd gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar, "He's just making things up, he likes to do that."

"Raaaa Hooks with the beautiful eyes." The bird suddenly flew into the air soaring around for a moment, before landing on Hooks' shoulder.

"I didn't know parrots could talk this much." Hooks said.

"Me either." Cole muttered.

"What's its name?" she asked.

"Slim Jim." Cole said, "He likes beef sticks."

"Raaaa tasty."

There came a knock at the door, and one of the League of Shadows members entered, "Your location."

Hooks took the folded piece of paper from the member, "Thank you."

The member smiled and shook his head, "You won't be thanking me when you find out where you're going."

They waited until he was gone to open the sheet of paper. Hooks felt her stomach drop when they read the location.

"Shit." Muttered Cole.

On the sheet of paper sat four words.

_The wilderness of Siberia. _

_**So, um, I totally forgot to do this a long time ago! :O Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's and do not make money off of this story! It is strictly a fanfiction story! **_

_**I feel very down in the dumps today, because I got written up at work for being eight minutes late. :( I totally thought I worked at 3:45, well turns out I had to be there at 3:30. Oops! **_

_**So I had bigger plans for Talia in this chapter, but I decided not to unleash them yet. You'll see her start to take more of an interest in Bane after they get back from the survival mission. I'm kind of excited to write about this! **_

_**Oh, and this won't be the last time Hooks is plagued by Mace's apparition! :o**_

_**Anyway, read, review, do what you want! :D **_


	12. Chapter 12

"Raaaaaa, wake up! Wake up!"

Hooks groggily opened her eyes to see Slim standing on her arm, bobbing up and down, "Rise and shine! Rise and shine!"

"You're really annoying." She said.

Slim cocked his head, "Raaaa, thank you." And with that he flew over to where Cole was sprawled out on the couch. The parrot landed on his shoulders and then started pecking his head, "Wake up!"

Cole jumped, and started swatting at the bird who immediately flew into the air squawking, "What was that for, raaaa, what was that for?"

Cole sat up, rubbing his eyes, "Oh, sorry Slim. Maybe if you wouldn't peck my head, I wouldn't try to attack you."

"Raaaa, uncalled for!"

"I was asleep!" Cole said, exasperated.

"Do you guys always have arguments?" Hooks asked.

"He usually starts them." Cole said, pointing to the bird.

"Raaaa, don't look at me." The bird said, and then in a computer voice, "You have mail."

Cole stood and strode to the slip of paper at the bottom of the door, "What time is it?" he asked.

Hooks looked at the clock and said, "Four thirty in the morning."

"Okay, good." Cole said, somewhat relieved, "Ra's is meeting with us at six." He looked to the red bird who was cleaning his feathers, "Well what do you know Slim, you came in handy for once."

Slim made a garbling noise that made it sound like he was grumbling. Hooks smiled and said, "Don't be mean! I like Slim."

The bird squawked and ruffled his neck feathers.

"I wouldn't say that if I were you." Cole said, "He's a real ladies man, wait until he starts his pickup lines."

"Did you teach him to speak?" she asked.

"Unfortunately." He sighed, "Do you want the shower first, or can I?"

"You can, I totally forgot my clothes today." She said, "I'm going to get them."

Cole nodded and she left, gently closing the door. She made her way to her room and tip toed in, so as not to wake Bane in the next room. Unless he went to Talia's room. Hooks frowned, throwing a pillow from her bed at the wall in anger. She watched as it thudded into the wall and landed on the floor, walking over to pick it up.

"Hooks?"

She jumped, startled, and turned to see Bane standing in the doorway. She sighed, "Since when have you become so quiet?"

He ignored her question, "Where are you being sent to?"

"Siberia." She muttered, "One of the coldest places ever! Where are you going?"

"Chernobyl." Bane said.

"Isn't that place radioactive?"

"Apparently Ra's doesn't seem to mind. It's a challenge made to separate the weak from the strong." Bane said, "I'm not too worried."

"Yeah me either, if a wild animal attacks me at least I have a doctor to patch me up." Hooks said grinning, "At least if I couldn't be with you, I got to be with Cole."

"That's what worries me." He said, so quietly she almost didn't hear it.

"Why?"

"Talia told me you've been spending time together." Bane said, "She also told me how you went to your room instead of to my surgery when we got here."

A sudden wave of anger overtook her, "And you believed her?" she asked, angry that he would have the nerve. How could he believe Talia over her? They'd spent a year together in the Pit for crying out loud!

"I spent hours sitting outside your stupid room!" Hooks said, "It was Ra's who suggested that _Talia _take me to my room."

Bane's eyes frowned, "So you didn't have another man in your room that night?"

Hooks' felt her eyes widen, "Um, no! I was too worried about you to hardly sleep! I thought you were going to die, Bane, I thought I had gotten to you too late! We spent a year down in that hell hole, I would have thought you would have known I was worried about you! But instead you believe that crap that Talia put in your head about me having someone over?"

"Hooks-"

"No, you know what Bane," she breathed a sigh, calming herself, "I'm sorry. I just, I was upset that you would believe her after everything we've been through."

Hooks preceded to grab a T-shirt and a pair of jeans, figuring that was good enough until Ra's gave her different clothes to suit her location. She turned to face him, "Have fun with Talia. Maybe she can tell you about how I slept with all the other guys around here. That seems like a pretty good lie to me."

"I didn't want to argue with you, Hooks." Bane caught her arm, forcing her to face him, "I just wanted to say goodbye."

She sighed, "Good luck, Bane. Don't get yourself hurt out there in Chernobyl." And with that she walked away from him. She knew she might be sounding a little cruel, but honestly she didn't care. If Bane was going to believe Talia, he deserved her anger.

Hooks threw the door to Cole's room open angrily just as he was walking out, clothed in nothing but a towel. They ran right into each other, stumbling backwards until they fell to the floor in a heap. Hooks rose her head to look down at him as she was sprawled on top of him, feeling her face growing red.

"Raaaa, awkward." Slim said from across the room.

"Way to go, Hooks." Cole said grinning, "I knew I was pretty gorgeous, but to have you throw yourself at me like that." His grin became wider, "Now I'm feeling pretty good about myself."

She picked herself up off of him, "You wish." She said, grinning.

"Hey, with looks like yours, a man can wish."

Hooks rolled her eyes, pushing his shoulder out of her way, "Why were you going out there naked anyway?"

"Oh I'm not naked," Cole said, throwing his towel on a chair next to him, revealing his bright blue and black under armor boxers.

She looked away awkwardly saying, "Is that all you own? Under armor?"

"Under armor is the shit." He said, "Now you better hurry up, we're seeing Ra's in an hour."

In a half an hour, they were both ready to go. They sat on Cole's bed playing cards, and even Slim had a hand. "He plays Go Fish like a boss, I always lose to him." Cole said, scratching the back of his head.

Finally they started leaving to meet with Ra's. Slim had flown to Cole's shoulder, putting his head against Cole's. Cole smiled, "See ya later buddy."

Five minutes later saw them standing outside of Ra's office, waiting for the pair ahead of them to finish speaking. The door opened, and Cole and Hooks shot up from the floor, standing at attention. Bane exited the room, with a smiling Talia behind him.

Hooks immediately frowned.

Bane saw her frown and said, "Be safe."

"You too." She said, putting a hand on his arm. His eyes flickered an apology, which she nodded to accept. He looked away from her then, but his eyes were crinkled.

"Cole, Hooks, please come in." Ra's called.

They entered his office, closing the door behind them. Ra's sat in his swivel chair, hands clasped together in front of him, "Please have a seat."

As one, Cole and Hooks both sat, putting their hands in their laps.

"The wilderness of Siberia." Ra's muttered, "That doesn't sound very enthralling. However, that is where you will go! Now, I have prepared for you one set of winter wear, since where you are going is very cold. I have two knives, and one pair of extra socks. That's it. The rest you will have to find in the wilderness. You're scheduled to parachute in at two o'clock this afternoon, so when you leave the office you must get to the plane immediately. You will be able to change onboard."

"Thank you, sir." They both said.

"You must be extra cautious about Siberia, there are wolves and other predators lurking about. Not to mention the freezing temperatures." Ra's said, "I wish you both the best of luck, now go. Your plane awaits you."

They stood, bowing to Ra's, and left without another word. Outside, two more men stood awaiting their meeting. They nodded to each other, but kept all words to themselves.

In the hangar, Cole and Hooks stopped to stare at the plane that would be taking them to Russia. Cole sighed, "Well, let's get it over with."

"Let's do it." Hooks agreed, and together they boarded the plane.

_**Alright, so I promise there will be more Hooks and Bane time coming up! They've been separated way too long! So don't fear, it will happen! **_

_** I don't have much of an A/N today, my life isn't very interesting right now. :( I'm trying to put as many chapters on here as I can right now, because school is starting soon and I won't be able to update frequently! **_

_** And AAAAAHHHHH! Oh my lanta, the new season of Grimm started Mondaaaay! I love Grimm so much it's not even funny! Mehehehe Nick is too hot for his own good! But the stupid first episode was a 'To be continued' one, and it was getting sooo good, and I was like NOOOOOO! So next Monday needs to get here fast, or I won't be a very happy camper! **_

_** So read, review, do what you want! :D**_


	13. Chapter 13

"You're going to be dropping out in five minutes!" the flight manager said, "I suggest you get ready."

Cole and Hooks sat in two chairs facing each other, their hands folded on the table in front of them. They looked up at the manager and then stood, hurriedly donning their winter wear. The outfit consisted of large heavy white snowmobile pants, and Eskimo-looking jackets with fur hoods. Their boots were somewhat larger than their normal shoe size, but that was no doubt in part to retain their body heat. Hooks felt around in her pockets and found a face mask in one, slipping it on. It covered her mouth and nose, the only thing exposed being her eyes which would be covered by the ski goggles given to them to jump.

Cole helped her into her parachute pack, and she him. They patted each other on the back, and then were given the thumbs up from the pilot. The flight manager carefully opened the small door on the right of the plane and signaled for them to come forward.

"Stand in the door!" he shouted to them.

Hooks sauntered forward, pulling her facemask down to give a reassuring smile to Cole. He gave her a thumbs up, nodding his head excitedly. Hooks turned back to face the open door, her stomach lurching at the height of the drop.

"Go, go!" the flight manager shouted.

Before Hooks could even second guess herself, she let herself fall forward. The drop was the worst she'd felt. It wasn't like dropping into the pit, this was at high altitude, the ground thousands of feet below her. The only thing she could rely on was a flimsy sheet of fabric strapped to her, to break her fall. She flipped herself in the air in time to see Cole somersault out of the plane. Over the whistling of the wind in her ears, she could hear his shout.

Before she knew it, the chute was opening up behind her and she slowly began to drift downward. This gave her the opportunity to take in her surroundings. The first thing her mind registered was snow. It was everywhere, spreading into the horizon for miles and miles in every direction. There were clumps of trees in places, and behind her a forest began that stretched for miles.

Hooks hit the ground, rolling to make the fall less awkward. She grabbed the chute strings, pulling on them to stop them from dragging her in the harsh wind. Cole had landed, grabbing her by the waist to stop from blowing away. She finally was able to gather the chute, stuffing it back into the pack. She hoisted the backpack onto her shoulders, and shouted over the wind, "Now what?"

"Now," Cole said with a dramatic pause, "we survive."

"I know that, moron! I meant where should we go?" she asked.

"Oh, well that forest over there would probably provide the best protection and supply of food." He said, "So that's where I think we should go, but if you have anything better then feel free to suggest something."

"No, I think you're right, we should start there." She said.

By the time night fell upon them, Hooks and Cole had achieved setting up a makeshift shelter. They had made a temporary tent out of the parachutes for the night, vowing to fix it up better in the morning. Cole, having been in Boy Scouts, had managed to build a rather decent fire. It warmed them both, a welcome feeling after an afternoon of numb toes and wind burned faces.

"This has got to be the worst place given to anyone." Cole said.

"At least it's only a week." Hooks offered, "Gosh, Tuesday can't come fast enough."

Cole smiled, practically pushing his feet into the fire, "I hope they feed Slim, he won't let me hear the end of it if they don't."

"You guys are so cute." Hooks said, "You're like a married couple."

"We practically are." Cole said, "I adopted him when he was just a little bird out of the nest. I used to volunteer at my local animal shelter, and his mom died after she had him. They were going to, you know…put him down. I offered to take care of him, because I felt bad for the poor little guy. They thought I was crazy but they gave him to me. I've had him ever since."

Hooks thought it was a pretty heartwarming story. Cole seemed like such a nice guy, so what was he doing training in a league of super secret, super deadly assassins? She decided to ask him.

He shrugged, "I don't know, really. I was in the military at an early age, working as a Medic in the Army. But my shooting was so good they made me a sniper. My commander said I was the best shot he'd seen.

"We were out on a mission, and came under fire from a group of enemy soldiers. The last thing I remember about that day was getting hit in the head by something. It felt like someone hit me with a two-by-four as hard as they possibly could. When I woke up I was back in the states in a military hospital. They told me I had been shot in the head and had been found by U.S. troops wandering around babbling about the attack. I don't remember that part." Cole said, and then his smile disappeared, "I was the only one that survived in my company. All of my friends died." He shrugged, "I guess Ra's heard about my sniper abilities, because he showed up in my hospital room and said he would like for me to be a part of the League. So I said yes."

"I'm sorry about your company." Hooks said, not sure what to say to that.

Cole shrugged, "I've gotten over it. There's not a day goes by that I don't think of them, though, that I don't wonder why I didn't die too."

"Well, if you would have died, I wouldn't be stuck in Siberia with you." She said, bumping shoulders with him, "So, that's an upside, right?"

He grinned, "Definitely."

"So question," she said, "are we going to keep night watches to make sure we don't get eaten by wolves? Cause I've seen that movie with Liam Neeson, and it wasn't too pretty."

"Yeah! Did he die at the end, because I watched after the credits, and his head was on top of the wolf and-"

"Cole! Focus!"

"Right, sorry." He said, "I think we should, just to be safe. I can take the first watch."

"Till one o'clock?" Hooks asked.

"Yeah, sure. Wake me up at six." He said, resting his back against a fallen tree trunk. He patted his lap, "You can rest your head on me if you want."

Hooks laid down, putting her head in his lap. She missed Bane, missed his warmth that enveloped her in the pit. Her thoughts traveled to him, hoping he was okay in Chernobyl. After all, a nuclear plant _did _have a meltdown, killing thousands of people and maiming hundreds more. She'd seen pictures of the people affected by radiation. They were pretty messed up. A picture popped up in her mind of Bane with the tiny little legs she'd seen some victims have. She wrinkled her nose and shuttered in horror. Another picture popped into her mind, making her feel more satisfied.

Talia with elephant legs.

She involuntarily laughed, replaying the image of her walking into the League base and the looks of horror on everyone's face.

"What?" Cole asked.

"Nothing, just a thought." she said, closing her eyes.

The last thought in her mind, was that somewhere in Chernobyl, hopefully Bane was thinking of her, too.

"This place is beyond scary." Talia whispered in the dark.

Bane had led her to an abandoned building, which he presumed was once a school house. Papers and other things still littered the floor. Something brushed up against his foot, and he looked down to see a porcelain doll, half of its face gone. It stared up at him with a faded blue eye, its lips formed into an eerie smile.

He looked away and said, "This is where we will take shelter."

"In here?" Talia asked, pointing to a sign on the wall, "It's radioactive."

"The whole place is radioactive for miles around us. That is why your father chose it as a location."

Bane sat, leaning his back against the wall. Talia looked unsure of what to do, so she came and sat next to him.

"What if something comes after us?" she asked.

"Like what?" Bane asked.

"I don't know, like some messed up animal affected by the nuclear stuff." She said, "Or giant spiders. I hate spiders."

Bane had a sudden hope that she would be lifted and carried away by a mob of radioactive spiders. The thought brought a smile to his face, "If something does come after us, then I will protect you, like I'm supposed to."

"Not because you want to?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I just thought that maybe we had a thing going on." She said, looking up at the dark ceiling.

"A thing?"

"You know, since Hooks obviously doesn't like you."

He frowned, "And why wouldn't she?"

"Bane, I already told you, she had someone in her room the night you two came in."

"I spoke to her about it, and she denied having done any such thing. She told me that you were the one to take her to her room." Bane said, feeling anger rise up in him.

"Of course she's going to tell you that!" Talia said smiling, "She's not going to come right out and tell you! No one's going to do that, Bane. Trust me."

"Hooks and I have gone through things you can only imagine." Bane said, his voice low and menacing, "I would rather you not speak of her in the way that you are."

"In the truth you mean?"

He went silent, not wishing to argue with her further. Ever since their journey started, she hadn't been able to shut her mouth. It had driven him to the point of insanity, and finally when they arrived at the school house, he had roared at her to shut up. She had shrunk down, closing her mouth at last. Her silence lasted only moments before she started up again.

Suddenly, he felt her hand on his thigh. Frowning he turned to her, "What are you doing?"

"I know there is something there." She said, her voice low and seductive, "I know, deep down, you have some kind of feelings toward me."

Feelings of disgust maybe.

"Do you want to know why you didn't end up with Hooks?" Talia asked, not waiting for his reply, "Because I told my father I wanted to be with you. I convinced him to pair us together." She said, moving closer to him with every word. She put a hand to his cheek, running it down to stroke his mask.

"Why would you do that?" he asked angrily, knowing that at this moment, he could be in Siberia protecting her.

"Because, we're perfect together."

"No." he said, pushing her hand away, but she only climbed up to straddle him.

He felt the anger rising to a dangerous level. He clenched his fists, and breathed in deeply to restrain from hitting her.

Talia bent down to whisper in his ear, "She's nothing but a whore, why would you-"

He let out a roar, picking her up with one hand and smashed her down onto the floor. Her back hit hard, knocking the wind out of her. Bane stood over her, his eyes blazing, "You will never speak of her in that way again. I feel nothing toward you and would gladly let you die out here, but I can't.

"I don't want to hear you speak, I don't want to hear you complain, and I definitely don't want to hear you insult the person I care about. Now," he rose, releasing her from his iron grip, "if you don't mind, I would like to sleep. It's the only place I don't have to hear your mouth run."

And with that, he strode deeper into the school house, relieving himself of her annoyance.

_**Alrighty folks, so I wasn't going to put this chapter up on here today, partly because I took a wonderful nap that ran into my writing time, AND partly because the Packers were playing tonight. BUT the Packers were really pissing me off today, mainly because it's a bunch of players that I don't know, and the dumb second string Quarterback was HORRIBLE! Aaron better not get hurt this season, or I will personally be the Quarterback! But I do have to give him props, because it was one of the first times he ever played, so, ugh I don't hate him too much. Oh, and update: Packers LOST! :'( **_

_**So firstly, I just want to thank EVERYONE for reviewing this story! 218 reviews?! I almost started crying! **_

_**And a thank you goes out to England101 for the radioactive spider comment! I couldn't ignore the genius of your statement, and decided to use it in my story! I hope that is okay! **_

_**And an Ohhhh my gosh I KNOW! goes out to GracefulWolvesInTheNight! She totally jumped on him with the knife and I was like, NOOO, OH MY GOSH NOOOO! But then my man Nick saved him so it was all good. If you haven't noticed, I love Nick. A lot. Almost as much as Aaron Rodgers. Almost. :DDD :D **_

_**And I knooooow The Grey just came out, and this takes place before Batman even exists, but come on, it's Siberia…where wolves live. I know The Grey was in Alaska, but…wolves. You know what I mean!**_

_**So highty tighty Christ almighty, guys, read, review, do what you want! :D **_


	14. Chapter 14

Hooks poked her head out from around the tree, watching the deer make its way slowly away from her. She couldn't see where Cole was hiding, only knew that he was in a clump of brush directly in front of the deer. It sniffed the air, then put its head to the ground to start eating. At that moment Cole jumped up, somehow grabbing the deer. With one quick motion, he swiped the blade across its throat. It struggled for a moment, and then collapsed to the ground.

"And that's how you kill a deer like a badass." Cole said, wiping his hands on the snow.

Hooks tromped over to him, buried knee deep in the snow, "Congratulations Rambo, now let's get this deer on a fire."

Three hours later found them cooking and eating parts of their deer. It was a welcome treat after going two days on nothing but a single rabbit. They had been in the wild for four days now, and were counting down the last three. Cole had carved the days into a tree, 'just in case they ever came back'.

"That was pretty cool." Hooks said.

"I know, it was just…bam. Done." Cole said, tearing off a hunk of meet. He, of course, had to be the caveman and eat the deer leg like a chicken one and have blood smeared in a line under his eyes.

Hooks smiled and looked up at the sky. Dark clouds were forming in the west, and it looked as if they were moving in on them, and fast. She frowned, "Hey Cole, those clouds don't look too good."

He twisted in his spot to have a look at them, and when he turned back around he was frowning, "No, they don't. We better pack up the stuff just in case."

She stood, picking up her meat, and dusted the snow off her legs. A sudden gust of wind caught them by surprise, chilling Hooks even through her jacket. It was raw and icy, biting at her exposed skin. Cole's eyebrows were knit together as he grabbed her arm and said, "I think we're in for a bad storm."

"Me too!" she said, shouting over the now roaring wind. The clouds had come faster than they had anticipated, and slowly snowflakes began to fall. Before long, it was a complete whiteout.

Cole and Hooks blindly searched for their new shelter. They had decided to look around for more decent cover and had stumbled upon a monstrous tree with a hole big enough for one person to fit through, and space inside for three. They didn't know what had made the hole, but they didn't really care. The only thing they hoped for, was that whatever made the hole wasn't coming back.

They finally found the tree and flung themselves inside, covering it with a makeshift door made of bark and half a parachute. Inside, the tree creaked as it swayed in the wind, sending dirt raining down on Cole and Hooks.

Within ten minutes they were shivering so bad it hurt. Hooks' limbs became stiff from trying to keep warm, so she stretched, sending shards of pain throughout her body. Neither of them talked the rest of the afternoon, only listening to the roar of the storm outside. Sometime during then, Hooks drifted off into sleep.

The sound of screaming jarred her awake. She looked around in sleepy shock, finding that Cole was gone, the door removed, and the storm over. Another scream tore her out of the tree, and she stood there trying to see Cole. A snarl came from her left, followed by a whimper. She ran towards it, not really knowing what she was doing. All she knew was that there was a wolf or other animal of some sort, and it was attacking Cole. Attacking her friend.

Hooks burst through a clump of brush and stopped in her tracks. On the ground was Cole, his face and the snow around him full of blood. Four wolves were gathered around him, fighting with each other as they tore open his flesh. He saw her and held his hand out to her, "No Hooks!" he rasped, "Run!" a gush of blood came from his mouth, and his eyes snapped shut with pain, another agonized cry escaping his lips.

She didn't know what to do. She couldn't just leave him there to die like that, but she didn't know how to get the wolves away. She picked up a rock, and threw it, fully intending to make them chase her. Their heads snapped up and slowly they all faced her, but instead of attacking her, they ran in the other direction.

Hooks stumbled over to Cole's body lying on the ground, his face turned away from her. With tears streaming down her face, she turned his head toward her and jerked back with surprise. It was Bane's face staring at her now, without the mask. His face was like it was when she found him in the pit, and his eyes stared at her lifelessly. Her shaking hands covered her mouth, as Bane slowly rose to his feet. He stared at her and said, "Is this what you wanted?"

Hooks jumped and opened her eyes, finding herself still in the tree. Cole was still awake, staring at her. She released a relieved breath and rested her head against the tree. She moved her hands, and found she couldn't feel her fingers. She took off her gloves and saw that her fingers were turning purple.

Cole's hand snaked out and grabbed hers, holding it up so he could see it, "Jesus, Hooks you're losing circulation."

"Like I can help that?"

"You're freezing." He said, pushing his hand up the sleeve of her coat.

"Yeah, well it's kind of blizzarding outside." She said, pulling her arm away from him so she could cross them to keep warm.

He looked like he wanted to say something, but he looked away and kept his mouth closed.

"What?" She asked.

"What?" he also said, confused.

"You want to say something, so say it."

"It was just a suggestion, but you would take it the wrong way." Cole said, "So I'm not going to bring it up."

"Well, I'm telling you to bring it up."

He sighed, looking her in the eye, "_Since _I am a doctor, I was going to suggest getting a little close for comfort to get warm. See!" he said, pointing at her face as she frowned, "That's why I didn't want to tell you."

After a moment of silence she asked, "Would it work?"

He looked at her surprised, "Well, yes our body heat would warm each other."

"Then let's do it." She said, "Not literally, just what you had in mind."

Cole rolled his eyes, "Are you sure?"

"Is it going to keep me warm?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm sure."

Cole unzipped his jacket and snowmobile pants, as did Hooks, although it was difficult in the cramped space. Hooks took off her jacket and snowmobile pants, wincing from the cold. She frowned at him as he removed his shirt and said, "Why are we taking off clothes?"

"It will get you warmer faster, and believe me you need it." Cole said, "You're way too pale, your lips are starting to turn purple."

Hooks sighed, taking off her own shirt. She hesitated a moment, before sliding into Cole's snowmobile pants and resting herself next to him. He reached over and zipped his jacket, "At least Ra's gave us oversized clothes."

She stayed silent, feeling awkward at the feel of his skin on hers. He pulled her jacket over the top of them and then stayed still. After a few minutes, she started feeling warmth seep back into her body.

"You know I didn't do this to be nasty." Cole said quietly.

She looked up at him, staying silent.

His eyes were fixed on the wall opposite them as he said, "I know you love him. Bane. I would never try to come between you." He paused for a moment before continuing, "But I just wanted you to know that I care for you. I'll always be there if you need me."

She saw the brief hurt in his eyes, hurt that someone had gotten her heart first, "Thank you, Cole." Was all she said. But it was all she needed to say to bring a small smile back onto his face. She stretched an arm across him, laying her head on his chest.

She loved Bane in no way that she could ever love someone else. He was the one she could always give her heart to, and no one would ever change that. But she couldn't deny her love for Cole, not the romantic love she had for Bane, but the type of love two best friends shared. A love that would last for eternity.

_**Just so everyone knows, NO there will be no cheating in my story! Nope, noada, goodbye, the end! Bane and Hooks love each other, and ONLY each other! :D **_

_**I really just want to say I'm sorry for the huge delay in between updates! But I was watching the whole first season of Grimm because I bought it, and I couldn't stop watching it! I love that show soooooo much! :DDD**_

_**I really don't have much of an interesting A/N today…other than to tell you my dog attack the UPS guy. :( I really love my UPS guy because he's really hot (how many UPS guys do you know that are hot these days?) and usually when he drops something off he stays and we talk for…like…ten minutes about football! So I'm really hoping he doesn't stop coming because my dog bit his shoe. :o **_

_**So read, review, do what you want! :D**_


	15. Chapter 15

"Cole…it's our last day." Hooks said, sitting up so suddenly that a few birds flew out of the trees around them, "We get to go home today!"

Cole smiled, letting himself fall back into the snow, "Well hot damn, that sounds pretty dang good to me."

They both sat around the small fire Cole had built, eating snow. It wasn't the most appetizing thing to be doing, but when there's no water, snow tastes pretty good. Hooks looked up at the sky, "When do you think they'll be here?"

"Maybe around two like last time." He offered.

"So does that mean we should go out in the open?"

He glanced at her and nodded, "I would assume so."

They stomped out the fire and helped each other to their feet, which took longer than it should have. Since the snowstorm, Hooks had gotten severe frostbite on her fingers, which were now purple. Cole said she most likely wouldn't lose them, but feeling things would be difficult. The staggered out into the open, where the wind threatened to blow them away.

"Jesus, it's cold out here!" Cole said, blowing his hands to warm them up.

Hooks nodded, stuffing her hands into her armpits. They stopped and decided to sit again, but there was nothing to build a fire with. After a while silence fell over them, the only thing audible was the wind. Suddenly a light droning noise sounded in the distance, and Hooks shot up, looking up into the sky, "Do you hear that?"

Cole stood too, "A helicopter."

It appeared to their right, swooping down to touch the ground. Two members of the League jumped out and jogged over to them, "Congratulations you've passed the survival test." One of them said. Cole and Hooks grinned as they buckled them into the seat and took off in the same direction they were headed.

After about ten minutes they came across a rather large city, the helicopter touching down next to an airport. The two League members helped them down and escorted them inside the airport. Hooks sighed as she was flooded with warmth, the smell of coffee and other food surrounding them. She looked at Cole who had his eyes closed in relief. She hugged him tightly and said, "We did it!"

"Well of course." Cole said, "We're badasses, we do what we want."

"You are welcome to help yourself to any of the shops inside the facility." One of the members said, "Your expenses will be taken care of by Ra's. Your plane will be ready in a half an hour, meet by gate number seven."

They nodded and parted ways, the first place on Hooks' and Cole's stop being McDonalds. After they consumed what was probably half their body weight in food, it was unfortunately time to meet at gate seven. The two league members were waiting and escorted them onto the private jet.

"Did anyone…you know, not make it?" Hooks asked one of the members.

"There were seven individuals who did not pass this test."

A tight not formed in Hooks' stomach at the thought that one of them could be Bane. All she wanted was to feel his arms around her again, and the thought of not being able to do that frightened her.

The plane ride was silent. Nobody spoke anything, the silence screaming at them. Finally after a couple hours passed, the plane descended into the League's private airway. Hooks saw others filing into the base, their bodies slow and sluggish.

Hooks and Cole stepped out into the humid air and were met by Ra's at the entrance to the base. He smiled at them and held his hand out to Hooks, "Well done. I watched you the whole time, and some of the things you did to stay alive were incredible."

Hooks and Cole smiled sheepishly and thanked him, stepping inside the base.

Hooks didn't even have time to register anything before two arms were around her, holding her to a solid chest. She looked up in surprise to see Bane's relieved face and buried her own in his chest. They stood like that until Ra's entered the room and told everyone to be seated.

"Alright everyone, first of all I want to congratulate each and every one of you for a job well done. I would personally trust everyone in this room with my life if we ever got stranded in the wilderness." Ra's said, smiling, "Now then, you will have tomorrow to rest and regain your strength. By Friday I expect to see you all in the training room. You will receive further instruction then. Before you leave, I would like to take a moment to remember our fallen comrades who failed to make it out of this mission alive." There was a moment of silence before Ra's finally said, "Dismissed."

"How are you?" Bane asked quietly.

Hooks held out her hands and grimaced at them, "My hands hurt like hell, but other than that I'm fine."

Bane was about to say something, when he glanced behind Hooks. She turned and saw Cole watching them, his hands behind his back.

Hooks felt Bane shift behind her and watched hesitantly as Bane strode up to Cole until his was face to face with him. Hooks reached out to speak to Bane when his hand slowly rose up to stop midair between him and Cole. Cole looked at it in surprise before hesitantly reaching out to grasp it. Bane shook his hand and said, "Thank you."

Cole nodded, his jaw clenched.

Bane turned then without another word, and took Hooks gently by the arm, leading her to the infirmary. The doctor gave her some things to put on her hands, and wrapped them telling her not to take the bandages off until she came to see him next week.

"Come," Bane said, "let us sleep."

"What happened to Talia?" Hooks asked.

Bane's eyes crinkled, "She and I are no longer on good terms."

Hooks smiled, leaning her head against his arm as they made their way to her room, "Good, I never liked her anyway."

They finally arrived to her room, where they helped each other into their pajamas, and laid down on her bed. Hooks sighed at the comfort of the mattress, the softness of the blankets, and the safety of Bane's arms. Nothing could be better.

"I want her out!"

"Talia," Ra's said, running a hand down his face, "she's done nothing wrong."

"You don't understand!"

"What is it I don't understand?"

Talia chewed her lip, trying to come up with something convincing to tell her father that would tear Hooks and Bane apart. She knew he would never have her, not after what he'd acted like in Chernobyl. No, he would never have her, and if she couldn't have him, neither could Hooks.

"There's something that happened in Chernobyl that you don't know about." Talia said, willing tears into her eyes.

Ra's frowned at the tears and said, "What's wrong, Talia?"

She smiled inwardly at his worry over false tears, "Something Bane tried to do to me."

Something in Ra's mind clicked, and he sat back in his chair. His head drooped, hand running along his mouth. Talia knew what she'd said had struck something inside her father, making him angrier than he'd ever been. She smiled, after all, she was daddy's little girl.

_**Oh my gosh you guys! It's been almost a MONTH! I've been trying to get this chapter up forever, but I've been so busy with school now! :O So I think what is going to end up happening is I'm splitting my story up into two parts! This story will end when Bane leaves the base, and the other will pick up in the movie-verse! **_

_**So the other day, my boyfriend and I were talking about which villain is better, Bane or Loki? I totally can't pick a side in that battle because before I saw TDKR, I absolutely LOVED Loki. Buuut since I saw TDKR, Bane kind of made me fall in love with him too! So I totally don't know! **_

_**Again I'm sooooooo sorry about the huge wait! :'( I hope ya'll aren't too mad!**_

_**So read, review, do what you want! :D**_


	16. Chapter 16

Hooks was aware of a knocking at her door and groaned, not wanting to get up from her peaceful bliss. She felt Bane's weight shift next to her as he got up, telling her to stay in bed. The knocking had stopped, and just as Bane rose from the bed, the door burst open, League of Shadows men running inside holding up guns. Hooks snapped fully awake and jumped up, "What in the hell? What's going on?"

Ra's entered the room, his hands behind his back, face tight with anger. She'd never seen him angry before and decided she never wanted to again. Ra's swiped his hand, and immediately five guards descended upon Bane, who looked more confused than ever. One guard hit him square in the face with the butt end of his gun, knocking Bane to the floor, the others pinning his hands behind his back.

"Ra's! What are you doing?" Hooks asked frantically. She noticed a group of trainees crowded at the door trying to see what was happening. Cole's head poked around the corner of the door frame, and he ushered everyone out.

Ra's ignored Hooks and moved to stand in front of Bane, "In all my years," he started, "I've trained men to be evil, to do evil things. But never, in all my years, have I heard of something so wretched that I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of hate you must have towards me. I knew you hated me from day one, but I saw something in you that I thought I could make into something great. I should have sent you away the day you looked at me with loathing. It would have saved me this horror."

Bane watched him with confusion, "I've done nothing!"

Ra's looked away from him, as if seeing his face pained him, "Talia."

Hooks looked to the doorway, where Talia entered. Her eyes were swollen with tears, her eyeliner streaking down her face. She hiccupped and a little sob escaped between her lips before tears started flowing again. "Do you see the damage you have inflicted?" Ra's asked, stepping towards Bane, "Do you see what you have done?"

Bane's eyes darkened, a look of anger passing over his features, "What has she told you?"

"You know," Ra's said, "you know exactly what she's told me. She described to me the very details of how you forced yourself on her, overpowering her with brute strength!"

"I did no such thing!" Bane shouted, making the guards shift, "What she has told you is a lie in attempt to cover the truth that she wanted to seduce me!"

"That is a lie!" Talia screeched, covering her face with her hands and sobbing into them.

Ra's picked Bane up by the collar of his shirt and held him close to his face, "You will not insult my daughter in front of me with your lies. You've already taken her honor."

Hooks, still standing in the corner, stepped forward, "Ra's, maybe we should hear him out-"

"Silence!" Ra's demanded, holding a hand in front of her, "Bane, for the crimes you have committed against my daughter and against myself," Ra's paused, a look of regret flashing through his eyes, "I hereby excommunicate you from the League of Shadows."

It felt like someone had taken a hammer to Hooks' stomach. Bane's eyes widened and his shoulders sagged as he exhaled in shock. Hooks threw a glance at Talia, who was smirking behind her father. A wave of utter anger flared up in Hooks, and she clenched her fists, fully intending to launch herself at the bitch, when Ra's said her name. She looked over to him and said, "What?"

"I take it you will be leaving as well?" Ra's asked. She looked at Bane who was watching her with an expression that said he wanted her to stay but she swallowed and stood tall and said, "I'm sorry Ra's, but I have to."

He nodded, clearly disappointed, and turned to the doorway, "You will be out of the building by noon." and with that, Ra's, Talia, and the guards were gone.

"That sneaky little bitch!" Hooks blurted.

Bane, still shocked, sat on the bed, "She had this planned after she knew I didn't want her."

Hooks sat next to him, putting her hand on top of his, "It's going to be okay. We're going to be okay."

His blue-green eyes found hers and she could tell he was frowning, "We have nowhere to go. I won't be able to give you the things you need to be happy."

"Bane," she put her hands on either side of his face to make him look at her, "the only way I will ever be happy is by being by your side. No matter what happens, I will always be there. I don't care if we have to live in a box, as long as I get to be your roommate, I'll be completely happy."

His eyes crinkled, signalling she had sparked a smile, "That is the only thing I want for you is happiness." "Then just be you." she said, tracing the intricate tubes of his mask. His hand reached up and caught hers, pressing it to his mask as he closed his eyes.

There was a soft knock on the door, and then it opened without being welcomed. Cole stepped in, hesitating, "I heard what happened."

Hooks nodded, "We'll be gone by noon."

Cole's face scrunched up into a look of pain, "You know, I never liked it here anyway."

"What do you mean?" Hooks asked.

"Well, you're the only person I ever trusted here," he said to Hooks, "now that you're gone, how do I know who has my back?"

"You want to join us." Bane said.

"Well," Cold scuffed his foot on the floor, "if it wouldn't bother you guys-"

"We would be delighted." Bane said, glancing at Hooks to make sure it was, in fact, delightful. She smiled and said, "Welcome aboard the excommunication ship, Cole!"

"Ah," Cole said, "call me by my real name. I never told anyone because it's kind of embarrassing but I'm starting to like it."

"What's that?" Hooks asked.

"Call me Barsad." he said, his cheeks turning pink, "So, when does the USS Excommunication set sail?"

"Right now." Bane said standing, "We've no possessions, so gather yours."

"All I really care about is Slim." Barsad said.

"Then let's get him and go!" Hooks said, "It's time we get out of this hell hole."

The three of them journeyed to Barsad's room and collected Slim, who was very angry at being awoken from his nap. They all walked down the hall and stopped before the doors that lead to the outside world.

"Are you ready?" Bane asked, glancing down at Hooks.

She took a deep breath and grabbed his hand, "Yes."

Barsad smiled and held up Slim who said, "Raaaa I'm ready!"

"Then let us venture to our future." Bane said, and they opened the doors to a sun that warmed their cheeks. They stepped foot outside, one step closer to their fate.

_**Holy Lantis, what has it been A YEAR? Nah, I'm joking, but wow it's been a long time since I last updated. I'm so very sorry for the HUGE delay in chapters, but I just finally had a night where I could sit down and do nothing for once! **_

_**So I decided to end it here, and have a sequel that is based on the movie! I haven't picked out a title yet, so maybe all you smartie pantses out there could help me! I know I want it to be Vow to … not sure what I want that second word to be yet though! :/ Suggestions?!** _

**_I hope you all like that Cole turned into Barsad, little twist I was waiting forever to _throw_ in! I know, I know, Barsad wasn't in the League of Shadows, but I couldn't just leave Cole hanging. He was a fun character to write, and since he was kind of important, I couldn't just forget about him. So badabing! He's Barsad! _**

**_And just to get it out of my system, I WAS ACCEPTED TO COLLEGE! :DDDD EEE! UW-Platteville here I come! There, it's out now! :) _**

**_I don't know when the sequel will be up, so you might have to be patient, but I think you've all been pretty well with the time lapse of these last chapters. I thank you all for reviewing, 273! Here's to hoping I can manage that much in the next story! I love you all! _**

**_So read, review, suggest, do what you want! :D_**


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